The Story That Started Out
by SilverontheRose
Summary: This is a collection of tales which all revolve around the Inuyasha fandom, with plenty of crossovers as I thin out my collection of unfinished works. This is all work I've had for years, and have finally given up on making into full-length stories. Still, I think they make excellent one-shots, so that's what they'll be! :) Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, et al.
1. The Orphanage - IY-YYH

Fanfic Idea 1

The Orphanage

.

.

.

A frantic Botan appeared at Genkai's temple, popping out right over the guy's heads. "It's an emergency! An emergency! Do not leave Genkai's today, and call everyone you know and tell them to head for high ground! It's about to start pouring buckets! And whatever you do, don't go to the Reikai no matter what!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Botan-chan. What's the emergency?" Kuwabara asked, squinting at the frantic shinigami.

She swallowed, turning very pale. "There's been another tournament declared... but this one has Enma-ou furious and absolutely heartbroken. The offices are flooded with his tears."

"Oi, Botan! What kind of tournament is this then?" Yusuke rubbed his nose, trying to figure out the connection.

"The second lady of the Western inuyoukai pack has finished her mourning period and Sesshoumaru-sama is hosting a tournament for the right to court her. Enma-ou has wanted her for hundreds of years, but Sesshoumaru-sama always seems to marry her off before he can get his courage up to ask."

Yusuke's face made a variety of contortions, until he burst out in laughter. "This Sesshoumaru guy sounds all right." A hard cuff to the head sobered him, and he looked back at Hiei. "What was that for?"

"I do not want to die because of an idiot. Sesshoumaru-sama is twice the age your father was, and no one has ever come up with a class for him. He kills easier than he smiles. Mentioning his name without an honorific is a death sentence in his territory, and he's generous to himself when it comes to claiming land."

"Eieh." Yusuke was amazed that Hiei would be so cautious.

"How terrible, giving a girl's hand away to the strongest fighter. What if she wants someone else? Botan-chan, is there any way we can help her?" the big orange-haired fighter was ready to go save the girl.

Botan giggled. "Actually, the tournament was Kagome-sama's idea. She's so busy, she doesn't have time to date. And with the power she has, a weak mate is laughable."

"Youkai females sure are strange. Makes me glad I've got Keiko."

Botan looked at him funny. "But she's not. Youkai, that is. She's human."

"WHAT?!" came the surround sound of Yusuke and Kuwabara, blowing her hair back. Botan tried to straighten her hair, then continued.

"Kagome-sama was the last guardian of a cursed jewel. She was able to destroy it, but not before she was locked away in the void for three days. It put her permanently outside of time. So when the barriers went up and she found her friends wouldn't be able to visit anymore, she gave up her human citizenship and went to live in the Maikai."

"Why would a human prefer the Maikai over the Reikai?" Kurama asked, curious now.

"Oh, she and her first husband, the hanyou half-brother of Sesshoumaru-sama, had taken in an orphan kitsune kit and she refused to abandon either of them. Her first husband died a little over two hundred years ago, and her second, another human that chose the Makai, died sixty years ago. Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't like her constantly working, so he keeps trying to marry her off to someone who will make her stay at home. But she's so devoted to the children, no one can bear taking the orphanage from her."

"How can a human woman raise youkai orphans? They could kill her with a tantrum." Kurama felt the youko in him wake and listen intently.

Botan just waved him off. "Everyone loves her dearly, and she does an excellent job." She tapped her finger against her lips in contemplation for a moment. "I know! Visitors are always welcome, as long as they help any child who needs or asks for it. Why don't you all come with me? We can avoid the torrential rain that's about to soak the human world, and you can ask her any questions you have."

~oOo~

Botan brought them out in a large meadow covered in the most harmless flowers Kurama had ever seen in the Maikai. There wasn't a carnivorous or poisonous one in the whole place. When he mentioned it, Botan nodded.

"This is the meadow the youngest children are allowed to play in. As the children get older and better trained, volunteers begin taking them out into gradually more dangerous areas. More of Kagome's kids reach their potential than anywhere else in the west, and they get there faster."

They followed the sounds of happy children to a traditional estate, where they heard several whoops of encouragement, followed by the sound of splashing water and shrieks of merriment.

"It's time to mop the floors!" Botan said excitedly, "Kagome-sama! Wait, I want to help too!" The grim reaper dashed off down the hall, leaving the boys behind.

"Maa. I didn't come here to do chores." Yusuke complained as Hiei shrugged one shoulder.

The diminutive fighter straightened his cloak. "Everyone in there is having the time of their life. I want to see why." He disappeared in a flash.

Kurama nodded. "I'm with him." and toed off his shoes before stepping up onto the walkway and heading to the sounds of childrens' merriment.

Yusuke turned to Kuwabara only to see him halfway down the hall already. "There's too much happiness in here for them just to be working, Yusuke!" he called back.

~oOo~

And happiness and fun it was, as youki attacks were used in a game of wash-polo. Children who could manipulate water had to keep enough water in the room to glide on while continually getting rid of the dirty water. Others batted around a brick of soap to make goals, while defensive players sent their opposing team members spinning about in circles to keep the soap in their play. Everybody had tied rags on their feet, knees, and hands, though the fact that the floor was getting cleaned seemed completely secondary to the fun of the game.

A woman with blue-black hair down to her knees laughed uproariously with the children, especially when one little otter youkai had his lessons finally _click_ , and a transformed otter suddenly went whizzing down the room and into the net on a super-powered soap bar. When she'd finally caught her breath, she rang a bell. "Room ten complete, and Keito takes the final goal! Yellow team wins! Time for the final rinse and dry clothes, then on to the movie hall. Blue team is in charge of popcorn and snacks for everybody during the movie!"

As a trio of giggling children squeegeed the floor dry with various wind attacks, Kagome went to see her visitors. "Welcome, Botan and friends. I hope you all enjoyed watching our game of wash-polo."

"Kagome-sama! It's always fun to come here." Botan made the introductions.

Kurama handed her a rose. "I have never seen a cleverer way to train children, clean the house, and wear them out past the severe troublemaker stage.

She smiled shyly. "Why clean the boringly proper way? And Keito would have never picked up that super speedy soap maneuver on his own." Her face lit up. "I hope he can get it perfected soon. I always get first dibs on new rides. Would you all care to join us for the movie? The kids picked Casshern this time. We'll have plenty of popcorn and ice cream, since Blue team has some advanced fire and ice users."

Hiei twitched, but kept his face straight. "You have them using their youki to make human food?" he asked, though it was obvious to his teammates that the notion that the two elementals could work together was what really pulled him in.

"Sure, why not? I encourage the kids to dream of all new ways to use their youki. They still get plenty of training in weaponry and traditional forms of manipulation, but if you can make your life better by using your ki in an unusual way, why not?" She leaned closer to the group, putting her hand beside her mouth and stage whispering, "And by general consensus, food prepared _by_ youkai _for_ youkai is _not_ human food, even if humans can eat it without worry."

The secret ice cream lover just _hnn_ ed, and followed along for the rest of the tour.

* * *

.

.

.

Okay, you might have guessed that this one came about because I could see Kagome taking in a bunch of orphans and having fun with them. I transformed a game of pillow-polo (played with pillows for armor and a foam ball on a slick floor) that I played as a kid into wash-polo, and it came out rather cute. But I could never figure out what happened next, or who she wound up with. This one is actually quite old... 5-7 years old, I think. I cleaned it up, and finished it with that last little tagline. I don't know if he's interested in her or in the ice cream, though!

I don't own anything from Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.


	2. The Supervisor - IY-YYH

Fanfic Idea 2

The Supervisor

.

.

.

"Ah Kagome-sama! I have a request that should, um, balance the debt between your sons and the Reikai." The immortal human simply stared at him, sending chills down his back. "Not that there's a great amount of debt, just, well, we did catch your sons in the Human World without permission..."

"Yes, my sons are such a ferocious threat to humanity. Rushing to the aid of their grandmother after hearing of an earthquake in the region. Despicable bastards."

Koenma's ears flushed bright red. "Not my ruling, Kagome-sama," he said quietly. "The SDF caught wind of them being there before I did." The boy squirmed a bit. "You know Father. He thinks I'm too fond of them."

She heaved a deep sigh, looking at the boy in front of her and realizing the stress he was under. "What do you want, child?"

"My new detectives, they're not a team yet. But I've gotten a challenge from the four sacred beasts, and I have to answer it."

"And you want them, not just to survive, but be forged into a team."

He nodded his head. "There's a bug flute involved, and I know how much you despise their use. Watch over my team and destroy the flute, and the boys will be pardoned."

She waved a hand, opening a portal near Botan's energy. "Very well. See you."

He waved fondly as she disappeared into the human world.

~oOo~

Kagome showed up just as Botan was explaining about the Makaiichou, just in time to laugh at the sickened look on the young man with the curly milk-tea hair. "It's not the worst thing a human can swallow," she allowed, "but near enough."

Botan had stood up straight when she heard Kagome's voice, and turned and sank into a low bow, motioning for the boys to do the same, though it was a wasted move. "Kagome-sama? Have you been following the bugs as well?"

"Ah, my cute little bubble-gum-blue ferry girl. When are you going to make my son a happy man and give me some grandkids?"

Botan choked, turning brilliant red. "Any one of your boys are too much for this ferry girl to handle, Kagome-sama."

She shrugged. "Powerful parents make powerful kids. Are these the ones I'm supervising?"

"What?" Yuusuke ripped out. "Not only is he sending me off the moment I got back from training with a sadistic grandma who had to have been a reject from the depths of youkai hell, there's a baby sitter too?"

Kuwabara got in Yuusuke's face. "Yuusuke! how can you insult the pretty woman? Surely your man's code..." and he dropped his voice to where only Yuusuke could hear, "can see she's a MILF," then he roared the next part, "And since Koenma was kind enough to send aid-"

"Oh, I'm not an aid. This is detective work. I'm an observer with specific instructions. I will not be in your way, nor may you look to me for assistance. Now, these bugs can kill everyone in the city, or you can go to the lawless city and destroy the four beasts."

Yuusuke looked to Botan, who nodded. "They're currently behind a barrier, but as soon as it comes down, you can enter their city and destroy them. However, once the barrier comes down, they'll be able to slay everyone in this city by nightfall."

"Catch 22, eh." Yuusuke nodded, understanding completely now. "So the only way to save the city is to go take down these guys. ALONE except for a chick who's just WATCHING! Who does Koenma think I am?"

"Oi, don't forget about me!" Kuwabara interjected. "I'm not letting some youkai destroy _my_ town!"

 _And things just kept going downhill..._

~oOo~

The last to drop through the portal, Kagome quickly surveyed the area and jumped up into a tree as the starving youkai dug up through the ground and began attacking the two boys, shaking her head at their poor showing. She was surprised, though, when the portal opened again – since Botan had been sent to placate Keiko and surely wouldn't have finished yet. Recognizing the two, though, she decided that Koenma had done her a favor after all.

Better that _she_ be tasked with destroying a bug flute that she would have probably come after anyway (not that the toddler needed to know that), than any of her sons being forced to work for the Reikai like these two. Their uncle would have gone ballistic had anyone tried that. _That dog's getting awfully protective in his middle years_ , she thought, not for the first time. She sized up the newcomers, _hmm_ ing at the reasonably decent power levels they had.

Easily eradicating the weak youkai with their jyaki, the two landed in a tree opposite hers. Yuusuke welcomed them enthusiastically but she decided to hurry them along, since each moment they lingered put more humans under the spell. And knowing youkai males as she did, she knew exactly what buttons to push to get them moving. "If two failed thieves are all it takes to make you happy, then get going Yuusuke. I can hear that dammed flute coming from the castle."

Catching the dark looks the two sent her, Yuusuke rubbed his nose. "Ah, this is Kagome. Koenma sent her to watch over us."

"What good can a human woman be on a mission like this, except to offer her for the flute." Hiei groused.

"And what good can a little youkai who relies on outside help to increase his power do?" she replied, disdainfully. "An eye that's not yours, a sword that's not yours, do you rely on other men's dicks too?"

Hiei went after her, landing in her tree only to find her standing back beside Kurama. Flashing after her again, he had his sword blocked by an amused kitsune who gestured past Kuwabara to the woman halfway down the hill. "What is she?" the now intrigued Jaganshi asked.

"Our supervisor," Yuusuke rejoined, running after her.

* * *

.

.

.

This was fun, but I hate just dropping an extra character in and having everything else be the same. That kind of story can get boring rather easily. This one is a bit older than the first story, but not by much, I think.

I don't own anything from Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.


	3. Setsunamaru At Ouran - IY-OHSHC

.

Fanfic Idea 3

Setsunamaru at Ouran

.

.

.

At a Host Club meeting before school, Tamaki decided Kyoya looked as if he was going to bust from whatever secret he was holding. Well, insofar as Kyoya ever looked like he would bust from anything. Curious, and not wanting to see his friend lose his cool (been there, laughed for days, don't care to share the experience with anyone else) the sun king slid over to the dark knight and poked his side. "Kaa-san, what devilry has you so excited?"

A gleam in Ootori's eyes made Tamaki cheer, catching everyone's attention. "Tou-san knows his Kaa-san!"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up. "Tamaki, this may interest you the most. Gininumaru Nishigawa's had a younger half-brother surface. Mattoki Setsunamaru and his fiancée, Kagome Higurashi, a commoner, enrolled yesterday and will start classes this morning."

Tamaki shivered, freezing in place, while Honey and Mori both dropped what they were holding as Honey tried to hide behind his cousin. The twins and Haruhi looked at them oddly. "What's wrong with that, besides the commoner invasion?" the twins chorused.

"Nishigawa-sama is one of the scariest individuals I've ever met." Honey confessed. "He once told someone that it was a shame the warrior's arts had been so watered down that I was the National Champion. I challenged him over it, and he put me down with _one_ move."

Tamaki's answer was shorter, but even more to the point. "Grandmother's _obsessed_ with Nishigawa-sama's _perfection_."

"But, if this is his half-brother, and he's just now showing up, then maybe he'll be different than his sibling. Plus, if he's engaged to a commoner, it may show that he's not a snob like most of the rich bastards here." Haruhi pointed out.

"My darling daughter is so right!" Tamaki reached to hug her as she quickly slid out of his reach, leaving him to fall to the floor.

Kyoya just sniffed. "Their family predates every noble family currently in existence. Only the Emperor has a longer pedigree, though I have my suspicions that that's only for form's sake. A certain amount of arrogance is to be expected."

~oOo~

Kagome smiled at the sight of Inuyasha in his uniform. "No fair, you look better than I do."

He twitched, pulling at the collar a bit. "No matter what Myoga called me in the past, I never expected the Setsuna estate to come into my control, much less for the Emperor to recognized my claim and restore my rights... but the tradeoff's now I'm stuck with your homework curse. Don't know which is worse." He ducked a swat. "You don't look bad, wife, although I have to say I miss the old white and green."

She shook her head, smiling as she straightened his tie and ran a finger down his jawline. "Think of it as one in the eye of that terrible grandfather of yours. And are modern formal manners so bad? At least compared to how you'd have to act if this was five centuries ago?"

Inuyasha pulled his woman, his _wife_ , into his arms. "Nothing's bad with you around. I'm glad the jewel left me on the same side of time as you, even if it meant dealing with Sesshoumaru again."

She leaned into her hanyou. "I can't believe it's been almost three years since the last battle. But half a year of school and society, and we can vanish into the mountains if we want to."

He took a long breath of her scent. "That's the deal we made. Lets get this over with, then." They left the Lotus Garden pavilion, their home on his brother's estate, and walked through the gardens to the gate. Knowing she still wasn't comfortable breaking the taboo on public affection, he pulled her onto his lap inside the car and held her close, trying to stockpile enough contact to last through the school day. His gold eyes shone briefly through his concealment spell when she smiled up at him, and he made her laugh with an irresistible offer. "Want to find a tree to have a picnic in during lunch?"

~oOo~

As the school they were shown to Headmaster Suoh's office, who was taken aback at the aristocratic bearing of the two, especially the commoner beauty. But the boy's hair... "Welcome, Setsunamaru-san and Higurashi-san. I hope you will find Ouran to be an excellent place to finish your schooling... I wonder, though, did you get a copy of school regulations?"

Inuyasha knew exactly what he was getting at, though two years in this era had tempered his reactions... He'd only hurt the headmaster if he got too familiar, now, instead of maiming him. "Keh. Nobody touches my hair." He cracked his knuckles and Kagome came to the rescue.

"Headmaster, Inuyasha's family has very specific rules for their appearances based on their position with the clan. If long hair is a problem for the school, we can obtain special permission from the imperial family's minister of protocol."

"Ah, thank you, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem. I'll make a notation, no need to bother Minister Takamura with such a small matter." The headmaster leaned forward in his chair, passing the two a couple of pages of fine linen paper with their class schedules outlined. "Do you know what clubs you would be interested in? I know there is only half a year left for you both, but I would encourage you to join one; for the social contacts if nothing else."

Inuyasha huffed as he read over the clubs. "Sports clubs are out, according to my brother."

Kagome sighed, "And the traditional arts we get enough of at home. My ko-do instructor's been threatening to have me certified as a master."

Headmaster Suoh's eyes were wide. "You have studied Ko-do?"

"All five of the Chinese arts, actually. After our betrothal, I had to move to the estate. The Nishigawa family is completely traditional, so I have had to pick things up quickly to honor my husband," she replied, mentally ticking off row after row of clubs. "Does the study club actually do work, or is it more social? Math is my ever present enemy..."

"I tried to show you–"

"I understand Brother more than I do you, and there's no way I'm asking him to take the time to tutor me." Unknown to the Headmaster, inherent in the statement was the fact Kagome stayed well away from the rigid inuyoukai she called brother-in-law. While he was less physically aggressive after five centuries, his tongue had gotten exponentially sharper.

"I'm afraid you'll find it more social than academic," the Headmaster admitted. "Why don't you look through the list a little longer, while I find out if your guide has shown up?" He dialed his secretary, who cheered him with the news that Tamaki was in the waiting room. Hanging up, he decided to take care of one potential problem before his son showed up. "I'm assigning my son to show you around the school, he should be here in just a moment. While we wait, though, I was under the idea you were engaged–?"

Kagome had a fleeting uncharitable thought about the Headmaster's deductive skills. "Yes, we have not registered the marriage. But as I said, the family is traditional."

Inuyasha rumbled out a _keh_. "In our eyes, as well as those of my family and hers, we've been married ever since the negotiations were concluded. You got a problem with that?"

"No, no!" Suoh gave them a rare, genuine smile. "It is obvious you are perfect for each other. Being able to marry the one you love is a rare and wonderful thing. I just prefer to know the truth of matters, so if there are any, shall we say... misinformed individuals... I can solve any issues that may unfold."

"Thank you, Head–"

Kagome was cut off by a delicately built, sun-gilted blond teenager's abrupt, dramatic entrance. "Father! You called for me? That I have been missed... Oh, hey!" The guy abruptly changed gears on seeing the two in the office. "Setsunamaru-san! And this must be Higurashi-chan-"

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles. "You might rethink what you call my wife."

Imagining he could actually _see_ wavy red lines of temper behind Setsunamaru-san, Tamaki did just that. "Congratulations to you both, then!" He bowed gallantly to Kagome. "Though you will be missed at my club, I wish the both of you happiness and good fortune, madame."

Headmaster Suoh coughed. "Tamaki, would you please show them around the school and answer any questions they have? They're both in your class and don't know what club they wish to patronize." He wished them farewell as they left, securely in Tamaki's melodramatic Gallic care.

~oOo~

As Ouran was a massive collection of school complexes, Tamaki concentrated on the main areas they were scheduled in. The half-French boy chalked Inuyasha up as a gruff individual that didn't seem to care for his exuberance, but was willing to tolerate him for his wife's sake. Kagome was a bright star in a midnight sky... he could see why the grump catered to her every little mood, and slightly envied him.

Inuyasha felt the kid was nothing but an immature brat, but Kagome responded to his bright cheerful manner with one of her own. The battle in the jewel had changed her... leaving her more somber and inclined to extended silence, rather than her previous over-the-top exuberance. Anything that brought her cheerful, sun-bright smile back into existence was something he'd endure any day.

"I have an idea," Tamaki suddenly announced, before changing track and heading to the third music room. "I think that the club activities here would bore you or not be worth your time, as you aren't going to be here more than a few months. All you really need is social contacts, right?"

Kagome agreed as Inuyasha gave a sharp nod. "That's why my brother insisted we attend. We were perfectly fine with our private instructors."

"I'm more of a people person than, er, Mattoki, but we both easily get tied up in each other." Kagome explained a little more, her power letting her know this boy was trustworthy... and sad under that fun-loving mask.

Tamaki sighed, hearts bubbling up all around him as he worshiped their honest love of each other. "I am the King of Ouran Host Club. We are men of distinct style, who live to pander to the lovely ladies of this school. But there is a group we've never been able to reach, not wanting to entwine their innocent lives in scandal. Many of the students here are engaged, their marriages arranged by their parents."

She cocked her head. "So you think that having an engaged couple as hosts would draw them, and foster a bit more closeness between them before they're married off and have to figure out how to live together on the fly?"

Inuyasha sighed to himself, but decided to run with it. She was a miko. Counseling others came with the job description. "This host thing, it's like that idiot Ootori tried with Gininumaru?"

Kagome blushed. "Not that bad, hopefully."

"Kyoya Ootori is in the Host Club..." Tamaki trailed off, realizing they were talking about Kyoya's father.

"Oh." She blushed harder. "Elder brother brought us on a business meeting to meet Ootori-san. Only, Ootori-san decided to have it in Kabukicho at the last minute..." She trailed off, her cheeks virtually glowing.

 _Oh._ Crap _._ _Did Kyoya know about his father's gross error in judgment?_ He'd have to let kaa-chan know what his father had done. "I'm sure Kyoya would appreciate knowing about that. He has a lot of respect for Nishigawa-san and would never have taken him to such a place."

Coming to Music Room Three, Tamaki opened the door only to be suddenly faced with an enormous wave of water. Inuyasha had sensed the attack just in time to swing Kagome out of range, but he took a bucket straight to the chest. He looked at his own wet clothes, and stripped out of his jacket, glaring at a set of identical giggling boys. "Kagome, do you really miss babysitting Shippou enough to find this club interesting?"

She whispered something and pinked, before turning and introducing herself. Spell-hidden ears twitched, his blood bunking off to the south.

 _If they keep making you into eye candy, I'll host everyday._

Sneaky wench.

Tamaki glared at the twins, and turned to apologize to the couple, eyes goggling at the ripped body that was now on display, white shirt plastered to strongly delineated muscles as Mattoki shook out his jacket. "I think the boys here at school should probably be happy you aren't interested in sports, Setsunamaru-kun, as well as your lovely wife. You may have trouble with fangirls if you're seen like that. Mori, do we have another shirt and jacket that would fit?"

"Keh. Kagome'd take 'em out. She knows who belongs to her." Inuyasha reached back and took her hand for a moment, needing her touch. She ducked her head, blushing at all the staring men, but squeezed his fingers in return. Mori came out with a new uniform, and Inuyasha went into the washroom to change.

Haruhi was overjoyed to find that at least one of the rich bastards attending this school was happily in love with a regular girl and willing to tell the world to shove off. She walked up to Kagome, and bowed. "I'm Fujioka Haruhi, one of the hosts and here on academic scholarship." There was no way she was calling herself a commoner.

"Nice to meet you, Fujioka-chan. I like your idea of wearing the boy's uniform. I don't know who styles school uniforms for girls, but I think they're either lechers or have no concept of style. My brother-in-law is petitioning the school board to allow me to wear kimono instead."

"I think you're right about lechers, especially in middle school!" Haruhi glowed, happy to find a girl who wasn't a rich idiot.

"Did you have to wear the seifuku with the skirt that flashed everyone at least once a day, too?" Memories of Inuyasha's current opinion of that green skirt made her flush a bit.

"That, and the P.E. uniforms!"

"Disappearing shorts!"

They laughed, as the twins slinked over and wrapped an arm around each girl. "We're the Hiitachin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru. How did you know Haruhi was a girl?" Their auras blazed up, and menacing smiles slide across their faces.

Kagome wasn't fazed. After Shippou and the grim youkai that worked for Sesshoumaru, a human's menace just didn't have any clout. "Kitsune?" She nodded, confirming it to herself. "Yes, that's what you remind me of, you're kitsune-natured. And anyone who pays attention can see Fujioka-chan is a girl."

"Commoner smarts!" they lit up at the same time, finding an appellation that made sense to them.

Inuyasha had come out of the changing room just in time to hear his Kagome being called a commoner, and had the two boys against the wall in no time. "Apologize, now!"

"Ahh! The dog has cornered the foxes, what shall we do?" they chorused, not realizing the danger.

Honey and Mori did realize the trouble the two were in, their training making them sensitive to the feeling of killing intent. They bracketed him, Honey taking the lead. "Please let them go, Setsunamaru-sama. They will apologize," he said, acting like the adult he almost was. "But I think Higurashi-san needs you."

Inuyasha backed down and went to Kagome. Taking her hand, he rubbed circles on her inner wrist until she calmed down. She didn't need to suddenly blast the two idiots and show her power.

Their quick conference with Honey had them coming over and bowing, reciting an apology. Tamaki frowned, not understanding the trouble. "Why do they have to apologize, kaa-chan?" Kyoya winced.

Kagome clarified things, realizing Japanese was Tamaki's second language. "To call someone that is very rude and insensitive."

"They implied she is worth less than they are." Inuyasha had his arms crossed by now, stabbing a claw into his palm to help control his temper. "Her bloodline is impeccable, if you must know. The Higurashi clan has been allied to mine for over five hundred years, though this is the first time a marriage between the clans has taken place. And since her family was generous enough to grant me her hand in marriage, anyone who puts her down is answerable to me."

By this time Haruhi had stars in her eyes. She sidled over to Kagome and whispered, "He's amazing! You are so lucky!

Kagome could only smile. If the girl only knew...

* * *

.

.

.

Can you imagine someone being so foolish as to take Sesshoumaru to a host club? There's music playing and girls hanging all over the businessmen, trying to get them to drink, drink, and drink some more. (Alcohol sales are the lifeblood of such places.) Yeah... bad move, Ootori!

And yes, the whole host club's attitude towards Haruhi's antecedents is quite rude, but Japan is very class conscious. That's why these types of manga are so loved, because they show an idealistic way of life that Japanese people can only fantasize about.


	4. Family Ties - IY-FMA

.

Fanfic Idea 4

Family Ties

.

.

.

Kagome repacked her bag, excited that for once there wasn't a book weighing it down. She managed to throw the still-heavy bag onto her back, worrying as she felt a give in the fabric. _No telling how much longer it would last,_ she thought, but there was no time to wait. Naraku had the whole jewel and Magatsuhi still had her powers bound.

Still riding the high from her graduation from middle school that morning, she flew down the hallway steps, only to charge back upstairs after her forgotten bow. Finally making it back downstairs, she slipped on her shoes and dashed outside. About to sing out to her family, she noticed a man in a wheelchair talking to her grandfather and mother.

Peering closely, she swallowed in shock and walked up to the group, bowing to the man she'd only seen at an occasional wedding or funeral. He'd always been kind, though she'd not paid the nonagenarian much attention as a child. As he looked up at her, she realized where her blue eyes came from.

He smiled kindly at her, and proffered a gift box. "Congratulations, great-granddaughter. My son has told me of your honorable deeds. I am proud that you passed, considering the work you have been bound to."

She quickly concealed her dismay that her grandfather had told someone else about her trips without letting her know, even if it was his father. "Thank you very much, great-grandfather. I am honored to see you." She took the gift, bowing to him again.

"Don't worry about opening it now. I know you must go and complete your duties. I was a soldier myself, as I'm sure my son has told you."

She watched with a suppressed smile as Jii-chan nodded to his father. Yes, Jii-chan had told them stories, but he'd always tried to cover up the fact his father was an Allied spy in WWII. Great-grandfather had been the picture-perfect model of Aryan breeding, easily posing as a contact for Germany here in Japan.

The elderly man smiled wistfully. "It's how I met your beautiful great-grandmother. And while I am saddened you have seen war at such a young age, I know you have the strength of will to triumph. Your father may have given you the name Higurashi, but I can tell you are an Elric through and through." The smile on his face turned crafty. "We always do what we must, what is right. Time, truth, and and the world be damned."

Not quite sure what to make of his impassioned speech, she slipped the gift into her bag and bowed again before retreating to the well-shrine. Her family followed her, Jii-chan trying to give her ridiculous mummified presents and Mama hugging her closely before she made her jump.

Alphonse looked on from the entrance, knowing he'd done what he had to, even if it was a betrayal of his own blood. _If Ed still lived, he would no doubt have kicked my ass over this, saying I was being as manipulative and cruel as Father. But I know she can set things right again. Brother and I should_ never _have crossed dimensions, especially if the capability has been passed to my children._

As she pushed him into the house, Al reached up and patted Aiko's hand. Of all his grandchildren, she was the most like Yukiko, his gentle wife who would have been horrified at what he had just done to his own great-grandchild. _I'm sorry_ , he apologized silently to the two. _But I'm a selfish old man. I'll damn my own blood to hell for a chance to be back home again._

~oOo~

Quickly climbing out of the well, Kagome hurried to her friends. The sky was dark with jyaki, and she shuddered, knowing Naraku had made his wish. She decided to leave her bag at Kaede's where they were all hurriedly going over everything they knew. First, though, she opened it up and handed Shippou his favorite Pocky, trying to make up for what they were about to do to him. He jumped on her bag, though, and poked at the present.

"Kagome, what's this?" He tugged at the ribbon, and a pendant and chain fell to the floor.

She picked it up, looking at the strange symbol on the pendant. "It's a graduation present from my great-grandfather. Looks like jii-chan got his weird taste in presents naturally; this seems more like a boy's necklace." Shrugging, she put it on. "Well, now I'll have a memento from my family with me."

Stuffing the box back in her bag without opening it, she latched the yellow monstrosity and put it in a corner where it wouldn't be in Kaede's way. Shouldering her bow and a fresh quiver full of arrows, she ducked out the door. Until Sesshoumaru killed Magatsuhi, she would be a liability, but she put her faith in the daiyoukai. He'd been mocked by the evil spirit of the jewel... even someone as clueless as she could be knew not to tease a wild dog.

Letting Inuyasha knock Shippou out left her heart aching, but she wouldn't take any chances with the kit. He was a child, and shouldn't be caught up in the hell of battle. Inuyasha would have enough trouble guarding her, anyways. She knelt down and kissed the bump, whispering an apology and telling him to grow up strong and happy before handing the kit over to Kaede.

With a nod and an outreached hand, Inuyasha quelled her nervousness and they went dashing off into the forest, up the trees, and onto the serpent youkai streaming through the air; the lesser youkai answering the call of the mass of jyaki that was the transforming Naraku.

Even as Kagome took heart in Miroku's teasing of Inuyasha as they went into battle, she acknowledged to herself there wouldn't be a victory without a sacrifice. She would have to make a decision today, just as Kikyou had been faced with the choice between her revenge against Naraku or the life of Kohaku. Kagome just hoped it wouldn't permanently damage Inuyasha, when it came down to her last battle against the jewel.

~oOo~

She was sure that in coming years, she would have nightmares of being pulled into the massive spider's interior, though she went willingly upon hearing of Rin's capture. With his absorption of the Shikon no Tama, Naraku had become the jewel. Just as the crystal sphere had held the void — the battleground for Midoriko and her enemies — his exoskeleton was now the container; his soul part of the darkness inside.

They fought against the parts Naraku sent after them, Hiraikotsu and Tessaiga ripping through his body and filling the place with shouki. The spider taunted them, spinning tales of their destinies as part of the Shikon no Tama even as Inuyasha swore to sever any fate that bound them together. They clashed then, the armored Naraku knocking Inuyasha back before the jyaki-breaking Hiraikotsu severed his head from his body.

That small victory didn't last long before attacks were traded again. Giving up on his lesser attacks, as even Kongousouha failed to phase the monster, Inuyasha's blade turned black, and he prepared for a Meidou Zangetsuha.

Kagome felt sick as Rin was revealed, the bastard using the child as a shield. But then she felt a familiar presence...

She'd been wrong. Naraku hadn't absorbed the whole Shikon no Tama! Part of it resided deeper within his body. They tried desperately to reach it, even after being separated, unknowingly falling for a trap as the taint of the Shikon no Tama tore away Inuyasha's control, leaving her facing the berserker.

(Unwritten part reprising canon last battle)

Kagome didn't even have time to scream as she was pulled into the Meidou. She felt the wrenching jerk that pulled her whole body into the void, and then there was nothing but darkness and oblivion.

~oOo~

Kagome hung in the darkness, reliving the last battle yet again. At first, the spirits of the jewel had sunk her deep in the illusion of what would have been her life; making the instant they pulled her back into reality even more painful. And at times she heard Inuyasha's voice calling her, but the spirits wrapped themselves around her, concealing her from him. These same spirits mocked her, trying to break her will... but the taunting words that were thrown at her she was grateful for, and accepted. The sensory deprivation would have driven her mad without them.

She fought to keep her mind, even though she was thoroughly disoriented; unable to tell up from down, dream from reality. After a while she realized she hadn't heard Inuyasha's voice for a long time. Naraku's will had been enough to block Inuyasha from reaching her, she supposed... but she was determined to keep him, keep everybody safe, even if it meant her life.

Still... the utter darkness wore on her until she finally allowed herself a few tears and a cry from her soul — _I don't want to be left in the jewel!_

The necklace great-grandfather Elric had given her began to get warm, and she pulled it out, looking at the glowing pattern on it. _What? How did he... what is this?_

The void shook, the sensation odd since there was nothing that could show the movement, and a huge pair of doors suddenly materialized in front of her. A child came out, his smile putting her on alert. _The malevolence surrounding him... he only_ seems _to be a child._

"Ah, I see." The child chuckled. "Someone really doesn't like you, to send you to me."

She had the fleeting sensation she didn't want to know who he was, but fate had always had it in for her.

"You can call me... the Truth. All the knowledge in the world is behind these doors, and it can be yours... for a price."

She recoiled, and tried to figure out how to leave. "Thank you, but I don't need it. I was just trying to get home. Sorry for disturbing you."

The chuckle he let go of made her heart twist. _No matter what I do, he's not going to let me go. Inuyasha, where are you?_

"Ah, I left your hanyou in the void. He can't come to you, miko guardian of the Shikon no Tama. I've removed you from that dimension entirely."

Kagome was horrified. "But my family, my friends..."

"You were sent here by them. Selfish creatures, to lock you away like this. But I _can_ send you to your family, _if_ you are _sure_ you do not want knowledge. As long as you take nothing but passage, all I'll require is that bow you are holding."

She was confused, but the bow _was_ special. _Perhaps I do need to leave it, since it isn't from my time. But what if..._

"Why would the Truth lie, priestess?"

"You could be a spirit of the jewel-"

"I told you, I've removed you from that dimension. That thing is no longer your problem... it will cause more trouble for a while, then a child will wish for it to 'go away.'" He slickly grinned. "And look, I gave you information without payment. Well, payment from you in particular. I've definitely developed a bond with you Elrics."

"How, why?" She felt like dissolving into tears and desperately wanted to be in Mama's arms.

"You have the key to the gate around your neck. It was put there by both family and friend. Although it is linked to something else... ah, your things."

Her backpack clunked to the floor beside her feet.

"Well? I've got more to do than make small talk with a child that can't make up her mind. Do you want me to send you to your family, or will you stay here and... entertain me... for eternity?"

Her heart breaking, she managed a small nod as she whispered 'family' and was swept into chaos — with the warning to keep her eyes closed ringing in her ears.

* * *

.

.

.

Okay, this one really shows that it is part of a larger story... especially with the still-unwritten two to five paragraphs covering the last battle. Sorry, but I don't write in order... I tend to jump around, since I find it easier to write boring (for me!) parts if I'm connecting pre-written scenes. As for the timing... I wrote this after the end of FMA and the first movie.

Want to see my brainstorming notes for the next couple of scenes (slightly cleaned-up)? Read on! If not, that's fine. I really didn't have any more past these two scenes, which is why it never got finished.

She unwittingly travels time and dimension, catching Al as his body is taken. She explodes with spiritual energy and takes the body through the gate, 'Truth' claiming her left arm for breaking her word. She's left with the Elric brothers, all of them bleeding out and Al bound to armor instead of his body. The explosion of her power and the storm brings Pinako running. Kagome waits only long enough for them to bind her arm before talking Al through reclaiming his body. She terrifies Ed when she destroys the bloodseal.

Al survives, and she passes out. She wakes later in Pinako's house. She looks through her bag for a change of clothes, finding the books and a letter from her ggfather. Reading it, she wanders, stunned, down the stairs. Pinako thinks she might need treatment her for shock, and wraps a blanket around her and makes her drink sugar water. As Kagome steadies, she introduces herself and stares at Al when he introduces himself. Her stunned ggfather? throws them all for a loop. Ed swears he's going to get their bodies back, she negates it. Tells him the gate is altogther dark and must be purified or destroyed.


	5. The Devil And The Divine - IY-DMC

.

Fanfic Idea 5

The Devil and the Divine

.

.

.

Kagome had been looking forward to the end of her long, hot walk to civilization... doubly so after her clumsy, freaking mostly-parachute- _free_ landing. She was sweating, bruised up on the left side, and her knee was killing her after its up close and personal with a rock. But having gone several blocks into the city, she could only wonder at the dump Shippou had sent her to while cursing the brat nine ways to Sunday.

 _Yara yara_ , she muttered to herself as she took a brief break and leaned up against a crumbling wall, flexing her bad leg unobtrusively. _What did I do so wrong as to deserve this_? Crinkling her nose as the wind sweeping through the alleyway beside her brought the sweet-sour stench of decay, she bounced her head against the wall a couple of times before heading further into the city.

Her life had been fine until Byakuya and Naraku had trapped her in that thrice-blasted void. Sure, she and Inuyasha had gotten out, even if three days had passed in the normal world. However, it only took a couple of hours on her side of the well to figure out something had gone horribly wrong. Youkai walked freely through the streets, people looked for spouses with spiritual ability over good jobs, and evil demons, the akuma, slithered through the night.

Grandfather had immediately set her to blessing omamori... and she soon couldn't keep up with the demand. As for schoolwork? The administrators actually based her grades off the barriers she was put to creating over public buildings.

Well, it did take care of the math nightmares, but she'd been given worse things to dream of. After high school, she'd become the highly unwilling property of the government. Sure, she'd had the best of everything. A spacious apartment, designer wardrobe, and access to an amazingly large petty cash fund... they'd even supplied a personal therapist and the latest in PDAs. The latter to keep track of the sanctioned kills they were forcing on her and the former to do their damnedest to keep her sane...

 _Not that any of them did any good. Of course, I doubt they were really interested in my personal wellbeing_ , she thought. Not when their answer to her resisting orders to kill complete innocents was to medicate her into oblivion and constantly let her know how she was shaming her family and country.

She'd finally broken on that last mission. It was a rather harmless mononoke... so ugly he was bordering on cute in her opinion. The kill order hadn't go out because he was troublesome – all he wanted to do was to count dirty shower tiles, after all – but because the snots who turned him in were embarrassed by his presence and made false complaints.

 _It's not that I have any sixth sense to detect liars, they were just annoyingly transparent. So I gathered evidence and proved he was harmless instead of just killing him._

That had been the last straw. Her handlers and therapist told the higher-ups that her psyche was compromised. The poor mononoke was exterminated anyway, and she was scheduled for retraining. Shippou had almost not arrived in time. Everyone knew 'retraining' was another word for brainwashing. She'd have come out of it a soulless blank, every last bit of personality and individuality gone, unable to think for herself and completely reliant on handlers.

Of course now she owed Shippou more than she thought she could make in a lifetime. Even after being labeled as defective, the government wouldn't let her go without making a profit. The government had declared that everyone with supernatural power must be controlled by someone without it. She didn't understand the common reasoning behind that. It seemed more like a jealousy issue to her.

Shippou agreed. Especially after dealing with the trouble she kept getting into over the past year.

Someone had tattled, and Shippou's human cover was blown. And with her 'owner' being youkai, she had the choice of returning to the government or having her human rights terminated. Without that final layer of protection, it was open season on her. Her name, picture, and data was circulated to all official offices. Cops ticketed her for offenses she hadn't committed and took her to lockup when they felt like having a toy to abuse. Paperwork she needed was often 'lost'. Graffiti was sprayed on her home and car so often she learned how to fix up the paint job herself.

But then there had been a series of thinly-disguised assassination attempts. A car 'out of control' had swerved up on the sidewalk and would have hit her had she not been paying attention. A group of toughs followed her to the ghetto she lived in and, without the interference of residents who were more pissed that strangers had intruded on their turf than worried about who they were after, who knows what would have happened to her. However, it was only after the third drive-by when a bullet tore through her pillow not an inch past her head that Shippou had given up on protecting her and smuggled her out of Japan.

Smuggled her to this dismal, gray town in the middle of nowhere, the double-crossing, lollipop-sucking little jerk of a fox. He had said he was taking her on a trip and made it sound like a vacation. One moment she was dozing on the plane, the next he had tossed her out the door with a parachute following a moment later. After she landed, she'd seen a note written on the pack telling her to kill as many akuma as she could. An experienced devil hunter could pay him back faster.

She needed experience killing akuma like Sesshoumaru needed an heir, which is to say not at all. So far she'd met fourteen of his offspring, and had her suspicions that there were more hidden away until they came of age. She didn't want to live her life as a hired killer, but life so far had taught her that her desires were inconsequential.

She checked her pockets. _Now I'm really depressed_ , she whined to herself. She was hurting, alone, and stuck in this junkyard of a city with a grand total of twenty-two hundred yen. Not even enough to get a hotel for a couple of nights. What a nightmare. She'd have to yank the brat's tails next time she saw him... her smile was sharp and bitter.

She finally found a place to change her money, though the exchange rate was extortionate. But at least she enough for something to eat and a beer, and maybe the cheapest of motels, though she shuddered at the thought of sleeping in a bed full of who knows what. She'd have to check out the mark board pronto.

None of the eateries in the neighborhood looked very appetizing, so she picked a place at random. Dizzy Dan's pizza at least had toppings she was used to. Ordering the cuttlefish pie – giving the employee a disdainful look when he asked if she wanted olives – she went and found a back booth with a view of the room.

 _Really? Cuttlefish and olives? Were his tastebuds that deficient?,_ she wondered, wrinkling her nose at the booth. Frankly, it stank; the plastic-covered seats were cracked, the floor sticky with who knows what, and the tabletop greasy from former customers. Thanking Inari-kami-sama that she was wearing taijiya-style dragon-scale armor, she tucked her hair inside her jacket and slid down in the seat, propping her feet on the table.

Anyone coming in would see boots and some hair, which was as nicely incognito as she could get right now, so far as she was concerned. Her beauty had always been more curse than boon, and she had no doubts about the trouble it could bring in a place like this. Those rose colored glasses she'd had on as a child had been stomped into powder after the well closed and left her in this alternate reality.

Spiritual powers didn't do a damn thing against human monsters.

She heaved a deep breath. That year spent in the Sengoku Jidai could possibly be the happiest year of her life... even with Naraku, a long line of youkai wanting her dead or forcefully wed, and the horror of the void. Inari knows, the seven years since had been less than enjoyable. Three long years at an isolated shrine to teach her every aspect and ritual of Shintoism instead of high school. Upon graduation, she was immediately pressed into the army for a year of 'weapons training' that was more of a mercenary survival camp than anything else, then almost two years of wholesale murder...

She shuddered. The only reason the government had finally relented and sold her was the darkening of her powers. The official stance was that there were no innocent supernaturals. If certain factions had come by the knowledge that her powers were tainted by sanctioned kills, they would have the ammunition needed to change the laws. The government couldn't allow the moderates that sort of proof, but killing her would have precipitated a war, thanks to her reputation. Her sale had been organized with the understanding that the taint on her powers would never be disclosed.

 _That would explain Shippou's disguise being blown. If they were keeping close tabs on me,it would have been easy to break his cover. He's got that youkai arrogance towards human skills and ingenuity..._

A box was dropped next to her feet. She looked at the silver-haired man... oh, no, make that male... outfitted in black and red. He gave her a quick once over.

"Its not often I meet someone with good taste in pizza, beer, _and_ clothes. Had to meet you. Name's Dante. If you aren't waiting for someone, come over to my office to eat that."

 _How... interesting_. Well, its not like she'd be in danger from him. She sat up and downed the rest of her beer. "My name's Kagome. Lead the way."

~oOo~

She looked up at a flickering neon sign. _Devil May Cry, eh?_ Between that and his arsenal, looks like she'd had the luck to fall in with a Devil Hunter. She sent out her reiki, letting it lick through the building. No akuma, but a hell of a lot of jyaki. _Interesting..._

Dante shoved the door open with his foot, a mysterious smile on his face as he welcomed her in. She kept her guard up as she walked in, an answering smile on her lips as she pretended she hadn't seen him checking her out when her reiki was active. No one was that sensitive... unless they were devils themselves. But something her senses were picking up had her thinking crossbreed. Fun.

 _By all the six million kami she missed Inuyasha._

She walked in after him, taking in his 'decorations'. Devil heads, each with a sword pinning them to the wall. She was right: crossbreed. A human would go insane with that much jyaki constantly beating on them.

Dante went back to his desk and dropped into the chair, sliding down and propping his feet up on the desk in his normal laid-back posture. He flipped open his pizza box and grabbed a slice, taking in his guest as he bit into it.

Blue-black hair, most definitely Asian except with vivid blue eyes. Scuffed black leathers that were more about protection than sex appeal, and a knee-length red coat made of some fur he'd never seen before. Prettier than Trish or Lady, in a more wholesome way... though he decided to never say that out loud. He had some sense.

Dangerous as fuck, too. He'd been surprised to feel that sweeping check of his place. She didn't give off the vibes of a warrior, so he'd wanted to get her out of Dizzy Dan's before something decided she'd be a good main course. But that hair-raising power surge wasn't the calling card of a normal woman.

His lips creased in a smile. Good. He hadn't had a pretty piece of tail to chase in a while.

She'd pulled a chair in front of his desk and her boots were next to his. Audacious little thing. He watched those cherry-pink lips close around her pizza and felt an answering stir in his pants. _Oh, boy_.

They finished off their respective meals in silence.

"So, what's a pretty lady like you doing in a dump like this town? I know I haven't seen you around before."

"Hn," she replied. "A double-crossing little candy-thief dumped me out of a plane about six kilometers out of town. He's of the opinion that a marathon of killing akuma will fix all my problems."

"Always cheers me up."

Her smile was dark. "I don't mind killing those who need it. It's the innocents that rest heavy on me."

He narrowed his eyes at her. One thing he didn't have on his conscience is a bunch of dead humans. "Collateral damage?"

"No." At his obvious spike in hostility, she thought she better elucidate. "I was the property of the Japanese government, like all the other spiritually-aware humans who don't have a rich family. They're not picky about who they issue a kill order on – akuma and harmless mononoke both die the same if they're reported."

"Shit." He'd heard of Japan's policies on the supernatural, but he hadn't heard how they were accomplishing them.

"Yep." She put her hand up to eye level and produced a ball of reiki. The interior was clean and bright, but gray shadows swam around the outside. "I don't believe every youkai, ayakashi, or mononoke is evil. Pissed my handlers off enough that they got rid of me, rather than admit they were in the wrong. I've spent almost a year getting harassed by the authorities, so my er... current handler... got the bright idea to literally drop me off here."

He could feel his hair standing on end, and his skin was covered in goosebumps. "Ah. Interesting, that little ball."

She gave him a nasty little sly grin and extinguished it. "You're half, right? With a high-level parent, for you to look as pretty as you do."

He glared at her, his suspicious nature putting the worst slant on her questions. No doubt about it. His track record with women sucked. That bit of him that had been so happy shriveled away quickly. She probably had been sent to take him out, and he'd just ever so nicely invited her home.

"I've experience with someone like you." His suspicions wavered – slightly – on seeing that soft look on her face... like the woman was in love with the guy. It slightly alleviated his rotten mood, though it didn't look good for getting laid tonight. It wasn't often the supernatural crossed with the natural... but if she'd known one before it would be a more pleasant explanation of why she was so certain of his heritage.

"I knew a hanyou... a half-youkai. His father was one of the strongest youkai in Japan in his time. No one appreciated that he fell in love with a human woman, so the night his son was born a dragon attacked him. He managed to seal it, only to have to fight a human army to get to his lady and son."

She gave a deep sigh, eyes dark with memories he was beginning to to get curious about. _Way_ out of character... _oh shit, you stupid idiot_. _Here we go again._

She had continued while he was having his private revelation. "Unfortunately, even the strongest can be defeated. Though, I say it's rather impressive it took a dragon, an army, a massive fire, and a jealous rejected suitor to do him in."

 _Ok, that sounded way too familiar_... He laughed, an enticing dark baritone. "My old man would have liked him. Human women, halfling sons and enemies galore. Not such a bad way to check out."

"Hmm." A wave of exhaustion passed over her, her injuries catching up with her. She was so tired that the broken down couch behind the pool table was looking good.

He caught her yearning look at the couch. Bruises bloomed vividly on her collarbone and cheek, and his dumb ass had only noticed her slight limp on the way over. Damn, she was good with concealment, he hadn't caught on that she was this badly off till now. The woman had balls. Big brass ones, too. "Got a place to go tonight?"

"No. Was going to check around to see what I could swing." She managed to sound nonchalant. Just barely.

"Building's mine. Take the couch. Motels aren't super clean here, and this way you won't be woken up with the clerk pawing you. Not a good city to be in without a friend."

"Thanks. Got a mark board in this town?"

He looked at her quizzically. "What's that?"

"People post bills asking for aid, or offering bounties."

"Must be a Japanese thing. People offer contracts in person here, or sometimes through an agent."

"Do people pay for protection?"

"Yeah... but no one is going to believe you can rough them up if they don't pay."

She puzzled over that, not making the connection. "I think we mean different things. Personal protection. Omamori, kekkai,..."

"In language I understand?" he interrupted.

"Ah... things to protect you from the supernatural and make life easier. Blessed objects, lucky charms, barriers, seals to contain evil, that sort of thing. In fact," she dug around in her bag. "Here. For giving me a place tonight. Hang it above your front door. It's for luck with money."

She handed him a pottery tile with kanji on it and an intricate looping knot to hang it with.

He studied the piece. It felt like clay and string to him, he couldn't sense a bit of power in it. "It works?"

"One of the seven lucky gods taught me that particular spell, so yeah. You're thinking it's a superstitious piece of crap since you aren't picking up the power, aren't you?"

He looked at her through his shaggy silver bangs. _This chick speaks to gods, and they taught her magic? Shhhiit._

She nodded, misinterpreting his interest. "Wouldn't do you any good if it attracted attention. Once you hang it up, no one but you will see or sense it unless you bring it to their attention."

"Can't deny I could use it. Consider it rent paid for the week."

She grinned. He obviously had no clue how much he could get for it on the black market. She pulled her feet off the table and pushed the chair back behind the drumset. Plonking down on the couch, she pulled off her boots and thought for a moment. Dante was pretending to snooze...

With a wicked little smile, she started unloading the least comfortable of her arsenal. Off came the coat first, as it made an excellent blanket. She lifted her hair, revealing the hilt of her wakazashi, and unbuckled the scabbard from her back, taking a moment to inspect the spell that allowed her bow and quiver to attach to it, yet exist in subspace. _Having a kitsune for a friend led to such neat toys..._ She leaned it against the head of the couch, and stripped away her belt of throwing knives next. The thick stacks of sutra she laid on the coffee table.

She leaned back on the couch, noting that the rest of the weapons were fine. Nothing poked or chafed, so she'd not have to reveal any more. She pulled her coat over her and with a thought had a barrier bubble up, covering the couch and her weapons. She may like the halfling, but she'd not trust anyone on such short acquaintance.

~oOo~

The next morning she was awakened by the jingle of the door opening. A tall man with sandy-brown hair came in and headed straight for Dante's desk where the devil hunter was still sleeping. "Dante, my friend, I have just the job for you," he said cheerfully, ignoring the nasty look Dante shot at him.

"We're closed. Go 'way." He mumbled, letting his lids fall shut again.

"Fine then. I'll find someone else to close the circle a certain Miss Dalsworthy opened on her father's estate."

"Dalsworthy? That ass?" He thought a moment, eyes flickering to the woman on his couch. "What do you say, Kagome? 50/50, after this bastard takes his cut?"

The agent jumped as a _hisssstcrackle_ snapped through the air, and a woman that hadn't been there a moment before sat up and stretched.

"Sure," she said, yawning. "Morning," she gave a half-hearted wave to the agent. Dante was intrigued to see all the bruises were gone, leaving perfect ivory skin. Standing, her back let off a series of pops and cracks as it realigned. Sweeping her hair over her shoulder, she began replacing her weapons.

Morrison pinned Dante with a stare, but the devil hunter just gave him an innocent smile. "Ugh. Don't do that Dante. You've never been innocent, and that smile is just creepy. Sorry, Miss. Didn't see you over there."

She just smiled mysteriously, and asked Dante where she could freshen up.

"Toilet's in the back," he replied. "When you're ready, we'll be in the car."

~oOo~

They pulled up to a manor house that reeked of jyaki to Kagome's senses. She cocked her head as Dante strode off without her, and blew an ear-splitting whistle to get his attention that had him turning back to her while rubbing his ears, complaining of the damage. "Do you want me to throw it into a sub-dimension?" At his sudden silence and blank look, she rolled her eyes. "You'll be able to do all the damage you want, but as long as it isn't living, it won't be harmed on this plane of existence."

"Nice. No deduction for damage. We're going to get along well."

It was an easy job for them. They were fairly matched in battle, her magic matching his strength. Dante was about to take the head of the last demon and close the gate, when the damned lesser demon _giggled_. "Go ahead, get the lame toady speech out of your system," he drawled, bored already. Why they thought he'd be interested in anything they'd have to say...

"Nah, I'll keep it to myself." The cursed thing giggled _again_. "Everyone'll have so much fun watching you fall, it's worth keeping my mouth shut."

The akuma's head was suddenly ten meters away and bracketed by two arrows flaming with holy energy. He screamed as they began to eat away at his energy slowly, peeling his skin away from his slowly cooking flesh. "Talk, trash," Kagome sniped, blue eyes flashing as her merciless training bled through.

Dante moved into a more comfortable position leaning against one of the gate pillars... the fact that it was further away was _completely_ coincidental. When the idiot turned his pleading eyes to the half-blood, Dante just smiled sweetly and threw up his hands. "You're the one who got her attention. If you'd kept your mouth shut, I'd have killed you by now."

Kagome looked at the shrieking akuma coldly and pulled back her powers a bit. "Feel like talking, or would you prefer gambling? I bet I could purify you exactly one centimeter at a time. I mess up, you go free. At least, that bit of you that's left..."

"Not my kinda bet, Queen of Diamonds. There's already a massive bet going on; folks wonder if the Prince's Queen will take up with the Jack and topple the King."

The devil disappeared in a cloud of ash. "Ridiculous," Kagome spat, ignoring her partner's raised eyebrow.

"I take it you understood that, your Majesty?" Dante asked, grinning at the disgusted look on her face.

"I had charge of a powerful jewel that increased demonic power, but after a long struggle was able to finally destroy it. A couple of years ago I was recognized by a youkai who'd met me on that quest; he got the word got out and the underworld tagged me with the nickname Queen of Diamonds. Since everyone knows I was in love with a hanyou who could – loosely – be called a prince, I'm guessing they think we'll fall for each other. Not a clue who this King is."

"I'm more of a Joker than a Jack. And if you were in love with a prince... well, kinda makes sense that he'd be king someday," Dante pointed out.

She tugged at her coat. "This was his armor; this and his sword was all he had from his father. He'd never have given it up if he was still alive. Anyway, it was his mother who was the princess. His father was an insanely strong daiyoukai who was known as Inu no Taisho, the Dog General. Inuyasha, though... he was an outcast of both races. He was strong, yes, but..."

"But a halfling, no matter his strength, would never have the obedience of the purebloods." Dante looked up at the sky, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched her destroy the gate, her movements jerky with emotion. "Inuyasha, huh? Don't think I've heard of him... and I'd've heard something about someone like me. Except for the prince part, though I've heard of some folks worshiping dear old dad these days. My mother was an ordinary human."

She turned to him, letting her grief go with a sigh. Considering his dismissive words, so very like Inuyasha's, she chided him, amusement curving the corners of her mouth. " Dante-kun, no woman who takes up with a demon is 'ordinary'. The 'ordinary' rarely attracts the supernatural's interest."

"Hmm," Dante drawled out, thinking of the women he'd met, including the lovely, highly dangerous specimen in front of him. "You know, you could be right about that."

* * *

.

.

.

I absolutely love Devil May Cry. White hair, big swords, and rocking soundtracks... perfect for Inuyasha crossovers, but there's hardly any finished!


	6. Dr Higurashi - IY-X-Men

.

Fanfic Idea 6

Dr. Higurashi

.

.

.

Xavier quickly glanced over the paper Jubilee had used for her assignment, avid curiosity written all over his face. An exercise in media slant and spin had most of the students picking anti-mutant pieces from local sources. So the fact that Jubilee, the poster child for a self-absorbed upper-middle-class teenager, had come up with a Japanese doctoral thesis was curious in and of itself. But from the small bit she'd had translated, he'd grown very interested in meeting the person responsible for writing the paper.

"It seems that Miss Jubilee has found a very interesting piece of literature, amusing mistranslation aside. I'm sure Mr. Fire will be happy for another day to put together his report, so I will read the conclusion of the paper for you. Possibly you will find something quite interesting about it as well, once properly translated." His smile brought the kids in, and there was a low roll of laughter from everyone except Jubilee. The teenager in question just threw her hands up, huffed and returned back to her desk. Xavier smiled at her thoughts, which were quite a contrast to her actions, before turning his attention back to the paper she'd left on his desk. Picking it up, he read it out loud to the waiting students, getting quite a different reaction to it than Jubilee's humorous rendition had received.

"'—And so, while much of the mutant phenomenon can be attributed to a biological leap in evolution, one cannot dismiss the probability that there is a link between the mortal world's quickening and the spiritual world's sudden decrease over the past two hundred years. Thanks to Japan's isolationist policies, we are the only first-world country with firm proofs of the existence of spiritual life forms and their relationship with the human world. Our _tenshi_ , _youkai_ , _mononoke_ , and _akuma_ are thoroughly documented, and most shrines have journaled accounts of the decrease in their sightings.'

"'This knowledge of our cultural heritage is why we must _not_ follow America and the European countries in their persecution of the so-called mutants. Instead, we should follow the example of Buddha and the teachings of the monks and priests of both Buddhism and Shintoism, accepting those who have ascended to a higher spiritual plane and assigning them proper roles in our society. They are not _hafu_ , as some in the Diet have contended, but rather a rebirth of our rich heritage; heralds of the return of spiritual power to our illustrious nation.'"

Putting aside the paper, Xavier further explained, " _Hafu,_ in the sense it was used in this paper, means half-Japanese. It is most often a statement of fact, that one is of mixed blood, but culturally speaking, people of mixed-blood are heavily discriminated against. It's been less than a century since the old imperial system was dissolved by the American occupation of Japan after WWII, so most Japanese, especially older folks, still have a sense of class strictures. Younger people are breaking down these walls, but it will take many more years before being _hafu_ will not be looked down upon."

"Sounds like an old propaganda film," Andrew said, rubbing the bags under his eyes. An inability to sleep combined with a love for TV and movies and a mutation that gave him control over electronics made the twelve-year-old the resident expert on video culture.

"Yes, it does. But that's the difference between America and Japan. We are encouraged to be individuals, to question authority and government. Japan, however, is a nation dedicated to homogenization. One does not argue with the status quo, and even if a youth decides to be different, there are acceptable ways of being so."

"Like Visual Kei?" Jubiliee asked, flashing a CD case.

"Yes." The Professor chuckled. "That's a very good example. Their music and dress are quite different from the norm, but even in that sub-culture, there are rules about behavior and dress. They are vastly different from the 'salary man' persona, but they are wrapped in almost as many rules of conduct as the normal work-a-day Japanese."

Ice raised his hand. "Professor, what are those things? I mean, most people our age have seen anime and manga, so I've heard the words youkai and mononoke. Are they the monsters they are shown as?"

Xavier thought for a bit, cocking his head in the way every student knew meant he was trying to find an answer for them. It's what made his classes so well liked. He never lied to them, never covered up a lack of knowledge, and encouraged them to challenge him. Kitty grinned and poked Rogue's arm, interrupting her internal debate.

"Rogue," she whispered. "Pay attention! How many public school teachers answer questions about anime?"

"I had one who would spend the last half of class discussing the newest Naruto chapters, so this is nothing. What I want is to meet the person who wrote that essay."

The two girls straightened up when they realized they were the subject of the Professor's knowing gaze. "I think that would be an excellent idea, Rogue. Not only would Higurashi-sensei be able to tell us the truth about such things as youkai, but I am quite interested in his or her theories. Jubilee, please stay after class so I can ask you a couple of questions about it. The rest of you, enjoy your lunch. I look forward to our class on Monday."

The bell sounded, and everyone noisily left for the kitchens. Jubilee stood and plodded up to his desk, lips pursed in a pout. "If Fire eats the dragon roll I hid, I'm not going to be happy, Prof."

"If your name is on it, Jubilee, I can promise you that he will greatly dislike the punishment for taking it. You know I don't tolerate theft."

"I'll _still_ be out my dragon roll. So whatcha need?"

"How did you find this? It's rare to find a doctoral thesis with a normal Internet search." He smiled as she finally understood what he wanted.

"Oh, well, I was looking at a news report on the mutant registration hearing Dr. Grey spoke at, but it was all about that mutant-hating senator. So I thought I'd find out who was against registration and do my paper on how their opinions weren't heard. I sent interview questions to a bunch of them, and one wrote me back with lots more information and a link to that essay. I didn't mean for it to be funny, but that's how it came out of the online translator."

"Thank you, Jubilee. Enjoy your lunch, but when you have time please send me that link. I'd like to read the rest of the thesis and try to find the author of it. I think everyone at the school would enjoy hearing Higurashi-sensei's ideas."

"Sure! See ya, Prof." She dashed out, leaving the door open behind her.

Xavier chuckled and sent one more warning to the boy who had indeed found Jubilee's lunch. _Eat that, and I will let Jubilee participate in your punishment. You_ do _recall the last time you both faced off?_ A grudging assent was all that he picked up before he put the paper in his lap and rolled out of his office. The chef was fixing one of Ororo's homeland's recipes, and Logan's reaction to it was bound to be priceless.

* * *

.

.

.

I adore finding oblique ways of introducing characters into a crossover.

I'm glad everyone is enjoying these, though I understand when you're upset that they end too soon. I was too! But if you have a really good, well-thought out idea on how to expand the story, let me know! I'd love to finish all these as proper stories.


	7. The Goddess - IY-X-Men

.

Fanfic Idea 7

The Goddess

.

.

.

Kagome and her three best friends laughed as Souta snapped pictures of them in front of the New Salem Mall as they posed in their newly-purchased goth-loli finery. He jogged over to them, handing the camera back to his sister before pulling her into a hug. "It's not as cute as _Baby the Stars Shine Bright_ , but Mama will get a kick out of you coming all the way to America to be a Shinjuku girl. I really appreciate you all coming to help me get settled. I promise, sis, I'll make you proud of me."

"Can't force me to be what I already am, Souta. You're brilliant. I'm certain you'll have MIT at your beck and call after you graduate. But please be sure to tell Mama the goth-loli thing is just for Halloween."

Eri giggled. "Our bright and cheery Kagome is the furthest thing from goth you can get."

Kagome made a face at Eri's teasing and the laughter from all of them. "Souta, you've got a long ways to go. Are you taking the train back?"

"Yep, even have the map and schedules." He held up his new superphone that Kagome had just finished meddling with. "Just what can't you do with this phone, sis?"

"Dunno. Test and tell, brother dear. I juiced up for you, but who knows what your pH1 can do now."

Ayumi plucked it from his hands, quickly scrolling through the apps. "Oh, wow, nice job. What did you call it? A pH1?"

"Yep. If you spell out one in English, it becomes pHone." She tucked her tongue in her cheek and grinned.

 _Oh, BOOO!_ came the round chorus, leaving Kagome to argue the brilliance of her pun.

Finally, Ayumi conceded that the phone itself was brilliant. "And I am so jealous Souta gets the first one!" She handed it back to him, her grin turning into a cough with Yuuka's pointed comment, "Don't let the geeks get ahold of it! They'll orgasm just by touching it."

"Gee, thanks Yuuka." Souta looked rather green after that riposte. "Not a good visual. But you guys have fun here. Sis, you might want to look in a jewelry store for mom's birthday. I got her a sixteen inch, twenty-four carat tangle chain if you want to look for charms."

"That's a good idea!" Kagome reached over and patted his head. "The purer the gold, the stronger the magic... so I could put a doozy of a protection spell on it. Yellow, white, or pink?"

Souta rolled his eyes. "I'm a male. If I buy my mom gold, it's going to look like gold."

"Alright, then!" Yuuka piped up. "Now Souta can go back to his college, and we can go shopping again!" Laughing at Yuuka's impatience, they all broke up and went about their day.

~oOo~

Three hours later, the girls abandoned shopping and picked up sushi to munch in the park. Kagome sprawled out on the grass, soaking up the sun and recharging. Eri picked up a slice of dragon roll and fed it to the girl communing with nature. Kagome chewed, enjoying the mildly spicy roll. "I've never met grass so happy to meet me before. It's even encouraging the ants not to bother us."

Ayumi looked off into the clear sky. "Maybe you've gotten stronger again."

Kagome hummed contemplatively as Eri fed her another piece of sushi. "If I get too much stronger, I'm not going to be comfortable in cities."

Eri turned her face into the sun. "Then I'll just move out to the country with you. You know, for a side effect, it's a pretty nice one."

"Think of all the gardening awards you could win, Kagome," Ayumi interjected, her sweet face dreamy with imagining.

Yuuka nodded, passing Kagome the last onigiri. "Umeboshi, since you like salty/sour things."

Suddenly, Kagome felt the grass screaming, her senses picking up a fast burning fire searing the ground. "Guys, unnatural fire, two o'clock. Let's go!"

The four girls quickly dumped their trash in a can and ran for it, getting there just as a woman forced a pair of glasses on the apparent author of the fire. Knowing their roles, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi positioned themselves around the destroyed area, making sure all the damage and those responsible were within their triangle, and pressed the stone in their bracelets. Immediately a barrier rose up concealing the damage and the strange group of uniformed mutants.

Jean was worried when the girls came running up, but they were all concentrating on concealing the damage and helping, so she cleared them. "Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, they're okay. I can hear them, they're going to conceal us."

"How—" was all that came from Gambit's mouth before the barrier shimmered into being. " _Mother —_ heh. 'Dis ol' Cajun done seen everythin, now." He looked at the fourth girl, who was beginning to glow. Rogue's shocked exclamation had him nodding in agreement. All the damage was gone, the grass alive and green again. He felt warmth pass over him, then, and shivered. "Hoo, boy. Dat fel' good. He looked over to Scott, who's broken nose was fixed in front of everyone's astonished eyes, and laughed. "She be cu'e as a buhtton an' a right powerful joo joo healer ta boot. _Chere_ , can we bring 'em home?"

Kagome ran up to the group, quickly bowing before trying to shoo them off. "You guys need to hurry. Someone called the cops, they're forming riot squads on the south side."

"What about you four?" Wolverine looked at them, wondering who they were and why they were dressed so dark and... _frilly_. The look just didn't compute to him.

"We're just a group of silly Japanese girls touring Salem. We'll pull out our loaded cameras and speak with thick accents and they'll run away." The grin on her face was smug.

Jean floated a card to her, which she accepted with alacrity, before shooing them with her hands. "Yumi will let you out of the east barrier, since there's something hidden that way and it isn't ours. Depending on how the cops harry us, it could take a day or two. Until then!"

~oOo~

Later that night, the four girls ate Halloween chocolate till they were sick and drank a little more sake than usual. Ayumi pouted, though, not happy that their vacation was coming to an early end. Kagome sighed, Ayumi's sulk hurting her feelings. "I know we hardly get to spend much time together anymore, but it's too dangerous for foreigners here. I didn't realize how polarized America had become over mutants."

"Its okay, Kagome. We'll pack up and go home tomorrow," Yuka said as she glared at Ayumi, who finally relented.

"My parents would call me home after being questioned by the cops, anyways. Better that they don't know."

"And we can try coming back here when they've settled down. Deal?" Kagome held out her hand.

"Deal," the three chorused back.

The next day, the cops watching the foreigners reported all four had boarded the plane and returned to Japan.

~oOo~

Kagome checked her address, smiling up at the surprising legend below the name Xavier Acadamy. _School for the Gifted, huh? Where were they when I was time hopping?_ The gates were closed, and she didn't want to cause a fuss, especially as she wasn't exactly sure if she shouldn't be using a side-entrance. So she asked the ivy to help her over, which it was happy to do.

Once inside, she knocked on the door. A teenager that looked about her age when she'd been grabbed by a centipede mononoke answered, her moon face and slanted eyes marking her as at least part Chinese. "Yeah? We ain't buying magazines today, lady."

Unruffled at the rudeness, Kagome bowed slightly. "I was asked to come speak to Jean Grey. If this is the wrong place, I apologize for bothering you."

Rolling her eyes, the brat opened the door wider. "Come sit in the parlor while I look for her. I'm Jubilee, what's your name?"

"Kagome Higurashi, nice to meet you."

"Sure. I'll go holler for her now. See ya!" The girl bounced off, and Kagome soon heard Jean's name screamed several times.

Setting back in her chair, she laughed to herself at the teen's antics. _I was that rowdy, once._ She picked up a piece of candy from the bowl on the coffee table and enjoyed the sweet burn of the peppermint as she sat there.

Kagome felt the elemental before it came in the room, and looked over at the doorway where she stood, white hair and dark gold skin giving her an ethereal beauty. She held out her hands, and the woman ran to her, kneeling at her feet and crying happy tears.

"I don't understand," Storm finally said, tears drying. "I do not know you, but am called to you, as comfortable in your arms as a child with her mother."

Kagome gave her a gentle smile and pulled the taller woman up and into an embrace. "That makes perfect sense to me, my child. We have that kind of connection, though it was not I who birthed you."

"A connection to weather? Do you have a similar mutation, Ms. Higurashi? Pardon me, I am Charles Xavier, founder of this school. I believe you know Ms. Grey."

Kagome looked over to the wheelchair bound man who was testing the boundaries of her mental walls. "You are a rude little man, aren't you?"

Jean started to protest, but Xavier held up his hand. "I suppose you aren't speaking of my question about your mutation, are you?"

"I suggest you don't try that again, psychic. I have a tendency to burn every bit of gift from those who attack me." she warned. "I am decreasingly sympathetic to mortals with each decade that passes."

"Your mind is like nothing I've ever felt," he pushed, curious.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I am not on my land, so I have forgiven you for not purifying your mouth before speaking to me. But you would do yourself a favor if you began treating me with more respect. I presided over the first mutant birth over a hundred and twenty years past, and I will still be watching over them when the word humanity means mutant."

"O-kami-sama," he whispered.

Storm was lost, wanting to protect her beloved professor, yet not wishing to leave the girl's side. "What does that mean, Charles?"

"We would say goddess, though I believe she's more an elevated spirit than a omnipotent, omniscient being. Jean, would you bring me a bottle of water and an empty glass?" Charles gave her a reassuring smile, encouraging her to trust him with a short mental conversation. He finished, "Please, Jean. There is much we need to speak of, and she asks only for such simple courtesy." His bright eyes looked back to their guest. "And offers so much in return."

* * *

.

.

.

In this one, I was thinking that Kagome had stayed in the past, but her experiences raised her to kami-status. Her powers make her one with the earth, which is why plants and elementals such as Ororo love her. There was supposed to be some correlation with the decline of youkai, and her decision to encourage mutant births. As for her friends, they met the older Kagome and learned she had ascended spiritually. As her best friends, they set out to become her priestesses... and she gave them the power to aid her as she protected mutant-kind. A little Sailor-Senshi, but fun!

I do not own any of the properties covered in this collection, nor do I make any money from them.


	8. Aeon Kagome - IY-FFX-FFX2

.

Fanfic Idea 8

Aeon Kagome

.

.

.

This was not how she had thought to serve the villagers, but their superstitious minds had finally overcome their fear of Inuyasha... and it was her unaging, youthful face that was blamed for the poor crops, the wave of deaths, in general, all the misery they suffered during the two-year drought. This generation of villagers couldn't believe their sixty-odd year old miko had once purified enough shouki to fill the village with a single arrow, nonetheless a _hanyou_ strong enough to destroy Japan. Besides, hanyou were known to be weak. Naraku couldn't have been the terror their grandparents made him out to be.

They had waited for Inuyasha to go out on an exorcism, and snuck in her hut while she was asleep to bind her. Now she was chained in a pit, a group of monks surrounding her and chanting while occasionally throwing various items, including herbs, salt, and powdered rock on her, ignoring her pleas of innocence. She felt her body stiffen slowly, her great soul gradually confined to her small body as it turned into something close to stone. Then it was over, and many began rejoicing, while those who were gifted with spiritual sensitivity went into their homes and cried, missing the warmth that used to infuse the village.

The villagers found out how wrong they had been that sunset. A woman glowing brilliantly with the sun's light walked into the village and up to the hole holding the bound priestess, the warmth of her aura reaching out to the miko but unable to wake her. The kami of the sun, Amaterasu, turned back to the villagers, tears running down her face.

"This one gave you her most beloved, to protect you and keep you safe through the trials of the coming centuries. Now you repay me with treachery." Calling the soul-bound statue out of it's grave, she broke the chains binding Kagome's wrists and ankles, but was unable to recall the statue to life. Turning back to the villagers, she pronounced her sentence. "I remove my favor from you. You shall suffer ten times more than any other village with every war and outbreak of pestilence, until you are devoured by time and your name forgotten utterly, your existence only acknowledged in stories of my most beloved."

An upswelling of light blinded the people, and when they could see again, Amaterasu and Kagome were gone, and the villager's suffering just begun.

~oOo~

The seemingly empty temple of Baaj lit up with Amaterasu's arrival, fiends scattering as they escaped her holy light. She drew into a blocked-off recess, and called to the aeon there. "Hidden Mother, would you speak with me?"

The dark energy of Anima shifted and the temple rumbled with the force of it's power, but what came forth was the unpretentious image of a middle-aged woman, face lined with care. "You are not of the Farplane. You are not of the Dream. You are not of Yevon."

"No, I am a stranger to your people. But my beloved priestess Kagome was forced into a state that is most like yours in all the worlds I have searched. I hoped to find refuge for her here." Amaterasu summoned the soul-statue for Anima to see.

"How cruel they were. Only those who choose so become the aeons of this world. But if you believe she would embrace the change, then I will take her in, and there will be two lost aeons in Baaj Temple."

Bowing her head to the aeon, Amaterasu's power soared, building a recess for Kagome's soul-statue to rest in, behind a puzzle sure to protect her from the greedy, such as Anima's son. With a kiss to her priestess' cheek and another bow to Anima, she left, never to return to Spira again.

~oOo~

The woman now known as the aeon Anima walked to the new statue, admiring the puzzle and happy she would not have to solve it. Inspecting the statue with her senses, she found the mystic lock that kept the girl's soul sealed inside and threw her power at it... again... and again...

It took three days to break the lock and free the soul within. Anima was amazed at the size of the girl's soul, as it exploded out of it's confinement and filled Baaj, making the abandoned temple almost a comfortable place with the purity and love sent out by the girl. Impressed, she held out a hand for Spira's newest aeon to take.

"They truly did an evil thing, sealing you, child. Now, shall we begin your lessons? You will want to explore this new world, and you can't do that confined to your body."

~oOo~

Kagome relaxed on top of the temple, watching the fish and fiends in the water below. She'd been in this world well over a year and had mostly accepted her situation, though she missed Inuyasha and Shippou dreadfully. Still, this world was full of interesting people and places, even if it was trapped in a circle of death. Anima had explained and taught her much about the world, becoming another teacher/mother like Kaede had been.

Having a sense of family saved her from losing herself in mourning, she was sure.

She looked up to watch the ship that had been running search patterns, wondering what they were hoping to find. There wasn't a lot in Baaj... unless you counted two hidden aeons... definitely not enough in the way of hidden gil or treasure stashes for a ship to spend days searching the surrounding waters. If she'd kept track, that would be the last area of the day, then they'd come search the ruins some more.

How boring... it had only taken her a couple of months to find all of Baaj's secrets, and to lose interest in the old crumbling buildings. A archeologist she'd never be... _That was it!_ Baaj was what was left of an ancient civilization, and there was still some of the old technology in the sunken part of the city. The Al Bhed were probably looking for it.

Well, that mystery had lasted a couple of days. She pulled up her knees and rested her chin on them. She kinda wished someone would become her Summoner, though she did _not_ want to be eaten by Yu Yevon. She had known right off the bat she wasn't going to be as complacent as the other aeons, if only because she couldn't join the Dream. When she slept, there was nothing but darkness... a void that reminded her too much of being trapped in the Shikon no Tama and her binding by the village. So, since as an aeon she really didn't need rest, she rarely slept.

She dove into the water, playing tag with a Geosgaeno before heading to the lower layers of the temple. She was using some of the broken detailing from the temple to decorate the entrance to her statue; mostly as a way to pass the time, though she also had the desire to be found. Anima could lapse into the Dream for weeks at a time, leaving Kagome alone. She could deal with that, and had, but she really preferred being around people.

Two hours later, she was rushing into her home as Sin invaded the peaceful waters of the mostly-forgotten temple. She was powerful enough as she was to turn him away, but Anima had explained that without a Summoner, she couldn't get stronger, so defeating him was impossible. The former priestess didn't quite believe that entirely, but she also knew better than to become an irritation to someone stronger than she was.

Note the numerous ways Sesshoumaru had gotten back at her over the years for calling him brother-in-law _one_ itty-bitty time.

She cautiously swam back out after feeling the monster leave, humming the Hymn as she began work once again... until the enraged Geosgaeno crashed into the walkway struts, chasing after a yellow-haired boy. Thankfully, he was an exceptional swimmer and made it into one of the anterooms just as the big fiend snapped down.

She would have gone to help the boy then, but Geosgaeno had a temper-tantrum and didn't leave for several hours. By the time she made it to the room, he was being hauled off by the Al Bhed. She sighed in disappointment, and made her way back to her statue.

She wouldn't have any visitors today.

~oOo~

Several months later:

The sounds of battle roused her from her meditation, and she made it out just in time to see the Geosgaeno that always chased her die. It left her with a hollow feeling... yes, he was a fiend, but she'd had fun playing with him for almost two years now.

She was startled to recognize the yellow-haired boy, who must have been doing well as he had two friends high-fiving him now. They spread out to search the area, the girl finding the Onion Knight Kagome had sealed away. The black magic focus had disturbed her too much, being the direct opposite of her magic.

Seeing them disappear into the hallway that would take them to Anima, she grinned. During one of her wakings, Anima had told Kagome about her life among the Guado and her halfling son Seymour, and her desire to take responsibility for her son. If the summoner was strong enough to handle her energies, it looked like her wish was going to be granted.

Turning back to her own home of sorts, she waited. Anima would tell them of her, of that she was certain. And then she'd find out whether she could make it as an aeon, or not.

~oOo~

An hour later, she heard the footsteps of several people coming her way and could hardly contain her excitement. Amaterasu's long-unheard voice echoed in the antechamber.

"I am the sun goddess of a people on a far away star. My beloved priestess, now trapped in the form of the aeon Mico, lies within. The village she served as protector and healer turned on her for having my blessing, which included youth and long life, and imprisoned her soul within a crystallized body. I cursed them to suffering, pestilence, and dissolution, then searched the heavens for a place for my beloved to have an opportunity to live, abandoning her on this world of Spira. My puzzle for you is this... was I right in my actions?"

"Whoa, that one's going to take some deep thought, yeah?" a deep voice said, tickling Kagome with his relaxed pronunciation.

A woman's voice rang out clearly, reminding Kagome of Sango taking Miroku to task. "Waka, it only would for you. Go on Yuna, this is your test."

Her potential summoner's voice was young, and hesitant, as if she wasn't sure anyone wanted to really _hear_ her. "I think... I think it was both right and wrong. If a priestess is anything like a Summoner, her life is lived for the people. So for her, she wouldn't want any of them to come to harm and would still serve them as best she could. But if she belonged to you, and you loved her and blessed her, then for you it would be right, because they took her away from you. At least, that's what I think."

"You are wiser than I, for I did not see that until those that loved her started leaving offerings at her grave. Even those that were cursed for not stopping her death left offerings for her happiness, creating the shrine she would be named after. Pass within, Summoner Yuna, and meet my beloved, my child of sunset."

It didn't take long before a pretty brunette made her way inside, eyes growing wide at the clear crystal statue of a beautiful woman in ancient clothing, broken chains lying around her feet. She knelt and started praying only to hear a chuckle.

"You don't have to do that... I heard Amaterasu after all. I'd love to get out of here and do some traveling, if you don't mind that I do not have a summoning circle. I'm not like the other aeons that you call on only when you need them."

"So you would travel with us as you are?"

Kagome gave her a nod, her eyes growing serious. "Yes, I will be by your side always. This is the oath I swore to the one I loved, and kept till my death. Because of my faithfulness, no one else will be able to claim my services until you pass to the Farplane."

"I'm afraid that might be soon. We killed Lady Yunalesca and her false hope, and are on the run from the temples. Our only hope now is to find a way to kill Yu Yevon and Sin forever."

"Good. False hope is a lie. I am have faced evil before, my lady, and destroyed it. I also have seventy years of fighting, healing, and wisdom for you to command." Kagome smiled at her resume... quite different than the one she ever expected to have as a child. "Just tell me when you want me to fight, heal, or purify, for my powers are holy and tuned to white magic."

The sweet girl smiled brightly and bowed, "I am Yuna, from the island of Besaid. I welcome you on our quest."

Kagome bowed back. "Here in this world, I am the aeon Mico, though unlike the Fayth, I do not mind if my human name is also known. I am Kagome. Please regard me kindly."

~oOo~

It surprised them all when Yuna came out with a person, instead of alone as usual. Yuna simply made introductions. "This is the aeon Mico, though she is not a Fayth, and her human name was Kagome. She is... a different type of summoning... sworn to stay by my side till I reach the Farplane, so she will stay with us as she is. Kagome, this is Lulu, Waka, Kimari, Rikku, Auron, and Tidus. They're my Guardians."

"Eh, er? Not a Fayth?" The muscle-bound feather head looked completely discomfited. "Ahrrh. Is everthing I thought I knew going to be _wrong_?"

The black mage smiled, her braids slipping over her shoulder as she turned to their newest member. "Please forgive Waka. Finding out the lies told to us has been hurtful to us all, but especially him."

Kagome walked over to the blitzball player, touching his arm and purifying away the darkness that had been confusing him. "Waka-sama, your deep faith is nothing to be ashamed of. The shame lies with the ones who perpetuated the lies. Remember the beliefs you have held until now, and hold them to the shining light of the truth you have learned. Throw away the beliefs that fail, and hold to the ones that shine all the brighter."

Kagome bowed to the rest of them. "Rikku and Tidus I remember well. They provided quite a bit of entertainment for me."

"Wait, you were here? I could have really used your help." Tidus spouted without thinking.

"You made Geosgaeno mad enough to block me in here for hours. Rikku had you by the time I got out," she responded coolly.

"Oh. Ooops, sorry." By his embarrassed bow, she thought this was a position he found himself in a lot.

"I have never heard of an aeon that was not a fayth." Auron interjected quietly, but with authority.

Kagome gave a sad smile. "I am not of Spira... as Amaterasu-sama told you. But Anima has taken care of me and taught me of this world since my arrival here."

Rikku piped in, "Wow, you mean that big, scary aeon-"

"She is what her son made of her... chained, betrayed, and in pain." Kagome remonstrated with the girl. "She suffers her own guilt as well, which I know she told you of. I knew many halflings on my old world, and one thing is universal. People hate or are scared of what is different, and act out against them. Seymour had the right to be bitter, but once he became an adult he chose to embrace the darkness of his soul instead of finding a path in the light. For that decision, he is responsible."

"Okay..." Rikku drawled out. "Well, we've collected the main aeons, plus Yojimbo, Anima, the sisters, and Kagome... are there any more left?"

"None you can reach. The rest sank to the bottom of the sea hundreds of years ago, or are lost in the Dream." Kagome told them, noticing Tidus' discomfort. She gave him the slightest nod, and he seemed relieved.

Wrinkling her nose, Rikku turned to Auron. "So now what?"

"The fayth may have more information on Yu Yevon. Perhaps we should go back and ask them what they know."

Yuna considered it for a moment, then nodded. "It's a good idea. The fayth are wise. Shall we go back to the airship and start again in Besaid?"

"As the Lady Summoner commands," Auron gently teased.

~oOo~

Kagome was thrilled to be in something that reminded her of home. Cid had been highly interested when she'd explained some of the easier controls, and took every free moment he had to quiz her on how technology worked. She could only outline the most basic information, but even that was enough to thrill the leader of Home.

When they docked at the harbor in Besaid, she tossed her head back and enjoyed the sunlight. Something about Baaj Temple kept it under a slight haze, so she'd only had the occasional bright day. But as she stood there in the sunlight, she began to feel more and more energized, and to the amazement of her companions, began to shine brightly.

"It makes perfect sense," Lulu pointed out. "Her goddess was the sun, so I'm sure the sun will keep affecting her."

"Well, you may have something there Lu, but how we supposed to keep under cover, ah? Tell me that."

"Peace Waka," Kagome said, gradually dimming down to a more restrained luminescence. "I am Mico, the light that illuminates the darkest of places, but even I can disguise myself."

Yuna grinned, hiding her smile behind her sleeve. "We'll never have worry about torches with you, Kagome-sama!"

Kimari finally said something, and Kagome immediately understood he only spoke when he had something important to say. "Aeon should not be identified as aeon. Kagome is Guardian to villages and priests."

"It is a thought," Auron said shifting his booze bottle to a more comfortable position. "We could say she's from the Calm Lands, but her Summoner quit just short of Zanarkand."

"Or we can stick to the truth," Kagome pointed out. "I'm a new Guardian with exceptional healing skills, and you found me in the islands. An isolated girl like me wouldn't be expected to know much of Spira."

Tidus snorted, before he started laughing. "She's got you there, Auron."

~oOo~

Besaid was a beautiful, mostly trouble-free island. They only had four encounters with simple fiends, Kagome taking them down with a conjured bow. The people were welcoming... well, except for an old granny who wasn't happy that Tidus was still with the summoner. Knowing what Yuna's fate would have been had she not rejected Yunalesca's false hope, Kagome could see her point. Only... things were different now.

As the group scattered into the village to greet their friends before descending to the Fayth, Kagome followed the granny a little ways until she was noticed. "Pardon me, honorable elder, but I just wanted to reassure you that Tidus and Yuna know that nothing can happen between them until they defeat their enemies. It is a sweet binding that keeps Yuna strong. I would put an end to it otherwise."

"Presumptuous, but well said. Thank you for the reassurance-" she stopped, waiting for the introduction.

"Kagome, I'm a new Guardian. I'm from a small island in the deep seas, but I'm excellent with healing and white magic."

"Lady Kagome, then. I'm Yukiko. You say you're a healer?"

"Yes, Lady Yukiko."

"I have a grandson who cannot get out of the house any more, as he's constantly short of breath and complains that his chest is too tight. Would you be so kind as to take a look?"

Kagome bowed, and followed the woman back to her hut. She'd noticed the lack of tobacco, so the problem was more than likely asthma or one of the tropical lung diseases. Placing her hand on the boy's chest, she sent healing warmth through him, unlocking his lungs and clearing the inflammation. "I am sorry, but this is something he will have to live with. My people call it asthma. He won't be able to be as active as the other children, and you'll have to watch him to find out what triggers his attacks. It can be any number of things; scents, flowers, perfumes, chemicals, exercise, illness... but the good news is that he is young and can grow out of it. I will teach your healers a potion to heat and have him breathe in.

"He can help himself as well. Teach him not to panic when he can't draw a full breath, and to concentrate on breathing correctly, no matter how shallow. Don't let him lay down or recline during an attack, or he could breathe in fluid and die. It's a scary illness, but he can learn to be in control, and control may keep him alive a very long time."

"Thank you, my Lady Guardian."

A half hour later, Kagome was laughing as she spoke with the apothecary. There was no way she would be a Yevonite, not with her knowledge of the history of the order. But she found him to be a true blue Besaidian, first and foremost.

"I know she's been excommunicated," the elderly man squeaked as he wrote out her directions, "but it's a mistake. Lady Yuna's always been a good child, so if she had to do something wrong, it was for the right reasons. And I'm too old to care what the church can do to me. The Farplane's a nice enough place for me, if they want to get rowdy!"

~oOo~

She didn't bother visiting the aeons with Yuna, since she already knew much of what would be told. And anyway, none of the other aeons were visiting, so she didn't think it fair for her to have to leave the sun to explore an old, dark temple. Instead she walked back out to the promontory and crawled to the top of the ruins there, feeling stronger and more energetic as time passed.

She had been contemplating telling Yuna everything she needed to know, but one thing kept her from it... the knowledge that working for the information would temper Yuna into the blade she needed to be. Information given freely did not have the same depth of meaning as something you had to work for. Besides, as far as Kagome knew, the Fayth had their own plan, and poking her nose in it would endanger it's success.

* * *

.

.

.

Mico- I had a bit of fun with words. Mico is Latin for glitter, gleam, shine, sparkle, flash, be bright, while Miko is Japanese for priestess. Plus there's Maester Mika... too much fun! I realize my Latin is most likely masculine, but this is fanfiction, not a midterm. :P And I never studied Latin to begin with!

This one was never finished because I couldn't think of an ending better than the real one. Just wanted to try to write in my favorite Final Fantasy universe. I adore VII, VIII, and XII, but X is my favorite... and my first Playstation game. The first game I remember owning? Q-Bert!


	9. Kagome As An Experiment - IY-FFVIII

.

Fanfic Idea 9

Kagome As An Estar Experiment

.

.

.

Rain was pouring on the night the kindly Moogle came for her. She understood their language very well, as they had virtually raised her. It wasn't hard to believe the news he had, either. The scientists experimenting on her had begun boxing up their personal possessions; it was to be expected that she would be destroyed along with the lab, a failed experiment in so many ways.

But while the scientists despised her for not fulfilling their expectations, the Moogles loved her. They were the ones who kept her hair brushed, clothes clean and mended and, on the worst days, cuddled her and hid her tears from the Estharians.

It was the Moogle network that heard of her scheduled disposal day, and slipped her out of the lab the night before. They traveled through kilometers of tunnels, and several days later slipped into Fisherman's Horizon, where she got to watch people going about their business. Wide-eyed at the sight, she watched for a good hour before falling asleep, her small body exhausted from the past few days.

That night, the Moogle and his charge slipped through the shadows to the mechanic's house at the top of the tracks where they were warmly welcomed. "My friend! It has been awhile since last we saw each other. And who do you have here?"

A series of squeaks and gestures got the message across, leaving the mechanic shaking his head.

"Oh, you poor child," the mechanic sadly crooned, squatting down to her level without intruding on her personal space. He knew Esthar's policies all too well; this child would be traumatized for a long time. "Would you like some food? It won't be drugged, Moogle's honor."

A look to her friend and a cautious nod later, and the mechanic was fixing a simple supper for the three of them, cinnamon toast for all three and eggs for the girl and him. She ripped through the eggs, but only took a polite nibble of the toast, sending her host back for another couple of eggs, now that he'd figured out her dietary leanings.

Setting her up with some spare parts to play with, the mechanic drifted over and sat down next to Moogle. "Where should we hide her? Those looks of hers are rather distinctive. Youkai probably wouldn't take her in, and trying to live close to a town will have people thinking youkai or Guardian Force. She wouldn't stay hidden long, with the kind of talk that brings."

When Moogle suggested Galbadia, the mechanic gave a slow nod. "Good idea. The daiyoukai there is a dog as well. We could take her to the Tomb of the Unknown King. Sacred and Minotaur have been at loose ends ever since that SeeD released the king's ghost."

Nodding enthusiastically, Moogle became so animated he fell off the chair, bringing a single soft giggle from the girl. Moogle and man both gained a little hope over the sound.

~oOo~

The next day, they had a good breakfast, though once again the girl seemed wary of kindness. "I know the scientists who kept you were cold and probably cruel, but not everyone is the same. I left Esthar because I hated how clinical everyone was," the mechanic told her gently. She calmed down a little, but still refused to speak. He tried again to get her to open up, Moogle petting her hand. "What is your name, little one? Can't call you kid all the time, you'll eventually grow up."

She shrugged, not knowing the answer. No one had ever called her anything other than a variation of kid.

"Tell you what. Look around and see if you like something in here, and we'll figure out a name from that. I'm going to go buy tickets to Galbadia; Moogle and I both think you'll be safest there."

When he returned, she was curiously inspecting his Moogle toy and a basket, both made by Artisan, a Shumi friend of his. She curiously poked at the weave, then held up the basket and pointed at her head. Moogle clapped, agreeing fully.

"What's this?" he asked, putting a bag of clothes beside her. She pointed to her forehead again, and this time a pale gold pattern showed, matching the basket's weave.

"Oh, you have a seal- interesting. I look forward to you breaking it someday. Let's see... Artisan called that pattern 'Kagome'. That makes a rather pretty name, doesn't it?"

Everyone agreed, and after Kagome dressed in the fresh clothes, they headed to the docks, taking ship to the Tomb of the Unknown King.

Twenty Years Later:

Kagome laughed at the elder Brother as he stood atop a pile of Armadodo, doing strongarm poses. "Thank you Sacred! I have a large order of Dino Bones to fill. These and my last batch of Remedy should be the last shipment before winter sets in."

"Always happy to help you out like this. The pests were starting to overrun the ruins."

"How's Minotaur? I haven't seen him since he started on that training kick."

Sacred sighed. "I wish he'd get it through his head that I don't mind him running to me for help. He's only a couple of millennium old, a baby to our people."

She bent down, kissing the little kami on the head. "Am I still going to be a baby for a long time then, Big Brother?"

Sacred considered it for a moment. "It would be nice to know which of our race was your parent, but by the power in you, you're at least a halfling. You have a long life ahead of you, even if you do mature early."

She giggled. "Dogs don't stay pups for very long, and besides Guardian Force, we don't know what else they mixed in."

He leaned in and hugged her legs. "Don't worry about it. You're our precious little sister, and there's few who are brave enough to anger the Brothers." He teleported away, leaving her with the pile of armadodos.

With a smile and a flash of claws, she began dismembering the fiends. She'd get a pretty price from their prepared bones.

~oOo~

Touga looked at the bottle of Cure, intrigued. Normally you couldn't tell one from another, but this shipment had some bottles that smelled of a sweet hint of power and worked more quickly and thoroughly than the others. "Sergeant Bunta," he called over to the bob-tailed mountain cat youkai. "Where did we get this last shipment of potions?"

"You noticed it too," the med officer stated. "Actually, they're mixed in with our regular shipment, so my guess is a new supplier who knows their stuff."

About to say something else, Touga wisely shut his mouth. Let everyone think of it as an exceptional new supplier. _His_ keen sense of smell picked up hints of a young female not too far away from maturity, with teasing notes of dog and ancient power. Was it someone who owned a dog, or was it someone's hidden daughter? Inuyoukai females were often hidden by their families, precious and beloved.

The thought of such a mystery intrigued him, and called him to the Hunt. _But we_ would _be doing maneuvers in the desert_ , he thought with disgust, nose wrinkling at his own rank scent. _Looks like I'll have to hurry things up a bit, now that I have a mystery to solve._ The thought filled him with satisfaction.

Two weeks later he was in the pub with his second lieutenant.

"Touga, forget about her." Royukan advised before taking a sip of his beer. "She's as shy as a rabbit and the Brothers' younger sister."

"She's one of the old kami?" That was shocking, though it did explain the scent of power.

"Partially." The wolf drained his beer, and motioned for another, finally getting the hint. "Okay, here's everything I know about her. The Brothers adopted her after she was rescued from Esthar. Far as can be told, she's at least half Guardian Force, a smidge human, and either inuyoukai or fiend with doglike ways.

"She's shy, elusive, makes the best damn potions and magical items I've ever seen, and is doted on by the Brothers. She's their pride and joy, and quite the looker. Long black hair, pale skin, petite, decent rack, and a very nice rear." Royukan took a long pull from his beer. "If you're going to push it, then meet her in the ruins, dress way down in nothing that looks like a uniform, and have some real business to conduct with the Brothers."

"Thanks for the information, old friend."

"Good luck, you old dog. If you can tease her out, she'd be a great asset to your clan."

~oOo~

Instead of taking his orb to the Tomb, he walked, enjoying the day and occasional battle with fiends. He reached the ruins midmorning, and took a delighted walk through the gardens flourishing everywhere. He'd rounded a corner planted with mint when he finally saw the girl he'd been hunting.

She was harvesting one of her herb beds, collecting the roots that had grown heavy and juicy over the summer. He was delighted to see she had little care over her appearance; a floppy straw hat that had seen better days, pants cut off just below the calf, and a sleeveless clinging shirt. Not wanting to scare her, he increased the weight of his steps and made some deliberate noise.

She looked up, and they both froze.

Royukan's description hadn't done her justice. He had never seen such an arresting woman. Her perfectly heart-shaped face was framed with long, true black locks, delicate winged brows brought attention to her warm brown eyes, and shell pink lips had his mind wandering into the gutter, wishing he could compare the color with a more intimate set of lips. He finally locked his fantasy away and was able to greet her without jumping her. "Hello, miss."

Kagome looked into golden eyes and was lost. She'd never seen a more handsome male in her life. Jagged facial stripes emphasized his elegant bone structure, and hair the spun silver of the stars was caught up in a ponytail that looked as if it might sweep the ground if she saw the back of it.

His broad shoulders were covered in a thick pelt, one that he casually ran his fingers through as his eyes seemed to devour her. Breaking away from her trance, she backed up a little as the heat in his eyes began to scare her.

"Excuse me, miss. I came by to see the Brothers, but maybe I should have come to see you instead. My name is Touga, I'm the General of the Galbadian Youkai Army."

She flushed, looking around for one of the Brothers or a good escape path. She'd been so happy to collect the sweet potatoes for their bonfire tonight, as they were one of the few vegetables she liked to eat. But now this youkai had her feeling pressured, and she couldn't see a way to escape by. So she scraped up a bit of courage and got out an almost whispered, "Kagome. My Brothers are in the Tomb, just keep going right," then tried to leave.

"To tell you the truth, I'm actually wanting to meet with the one who produces such powerful magical items and potions. My men have never had better care and I wanted to meet the one responsible, both to thank you, and possibly work out a supply contract."

If Sacred and Minotaur hadn't have poked their hooves out the door of the tomb to let her know they were watching, she would have panicked and fled. Her time in Esthar had taught her to beware pretty faces and polite words, and living out in the wild hadn't been the best for civilizing her. But knowing they were watching over her helped. "Follow me."

She led him though the gardens to the back of the Tomb, where she had a little cottage hidden by climbing roses behind the waterwheel. "It's just one room, so if you'll wait out here I'll bring us tea."

Left in the garden, he wandered around, seeing that this one was devoted to blooms rather than medicinals or foodstuffs. Though the blooms were scented, they were planted in a way that the scents mingled harmoniously, and heavier scents were in the paths of drafts, keeping things from overwhelming sensitive noses. The more he wandered in her little world, the more he fell in love with it... a small bit of peace and tranquility to ease a warrior's soul.

He heard her setting out dishes, and made his way back to the waterwheel. "It's an astonishing place, Kagome. I could spend days in the bloom garden alone."

"The Brothers spoil me," she acknowledged, pouring hot water into the teapot before taking the cover off her favorite snack, instinct telling he he would enjoy them too.

"Smells delicious," he told her as she set several rounds of toasts with a delicately seasoned fiend liver topping on a plate and set it before him. "Are you inuyoukai as well?"

She looked up, startled. "Sorry, I forgot to ask-"

"Your instincts were perfect. I can't wait to try them."

She nodded before abruptly saying, "I don't know." He looked at her curiously, and she ducked her head, biting at her lip. "I'm sure you were told about the experiment that lives in the Tomb."

He bit into the toast first, following the proper inuyoukai guest ritual, and almost moaned with delight over the food. She'd hit the perfect balance between the wild flavor of fiend and the slightly bitter tang of the sauce. A sip of his tea, and he could respond to her, ritual complete.

"But no one mentioned a beautiful woman who cooks like an angel." His eyes grew serious. "Of course, I told them to be happy it wasn't them, and if they continued, I'd have them volunteered for experimentation over there. My eldest's mother was captured, and even after her release couldn't be saved. Sya Sing was too strong, too unbalanced to be safe. He's never forgiven me for releasing her from her pain."

She refilled his teacup, her face showing how withdrawn the story made her.

"My apologies, I didn't want to bring up bad memories."

"They spoke of her a lot, comparing us... complaining of resistance..."

It was his turn to be shocked. "What else did they say?"

"Her children were as wild as she... They had to terminate- no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said-"

From one moment to the next, she was out of her chair and in his lap. It terrified her, and he started a deep croon to sooth her. "I'm so sorry you were hurt so. No one should be put through the evil they perpetrate in that city. How long has it been since you escaped?"

By now, he could tell the croon wasn't going to calm her, so he put her back in her seat and retook his own. "I didn't mean to scare you, and you don't have to speak to me any more... but can you tell me... are you Sya Sing's daughter?"

She shook her head, still shaking... though as much from unexpected feelings as from nerves. "I don't think so. She was silver-haired and golden-eyed, the Moogles told me. I'm just black and brown."

Touga shook his head at her self-deprecation. "There is beauty in the dark, as well as the light, Kagome. Maybe someday I can show you both."

* * *

.

.

.

Okay, this one was to match up Inupapa! and Kagome... one of my favorite pairings. I'm really sad I haven't thought of anything else on this one. If anyone wants to help co-author it, I'd love the help. I know exactly where I want it to go, I'm just completely failing on developing it. The other notes I have on it are:

Sesshoumaru is wandering, following supreme conquest by fighting GFs in order to defeat his father in combat. He's surprised when his dad falls for a lab experiment, but after getting his ass handed to him, he agrees she'd be good for the clan. Inuyasha joined SeeD with special permission. He's happy for his dad, but scares her with his exuberance. Sorry for that, he tempers himself and becomes her best friend, to his dad's dismay. But it turns out for the best when he is the one who convinces her that his dad really wants her and not just her abilities and strength.


End file.
